


Unfortunately, not Creative

by Peanut739



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe - College/University, Emotionally Constipated Derek, Fluff, Full Shift Werewolves, Insecure Derek Hale, M/M, Mates, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Rating May Change, Romance, Texting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-06
Updated: 2017-10-10
Packaged: 2018-10-28 16:39:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 32,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10835148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peanut739/pseuds/Peanut739
Summary: Stiles is attending college and currently struggling with his Creative Writing course. Luckily, in this day and age, the internet seems to have a solution for pretty much every problem. Stiles finds himself on an anonymous student app where he hopes to find some help or inspiration. Of course, there's someone out there who might just know how to help...Derek is not good with emotions. He's been traumatized many times, and he's simply tired of it. But this kid in his Creative Writing course is just...something else. Derek couldn't muster up the courage to talk to him yet, but, by a twist of fate, that might change.





	1. Log-In

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there!  
> New Fandom, new pairing, new story. Let's see how this goes...  
> The characters might be a little OOC, but I'll try my best to keep that to a minimum. Don't kill me though, if you feel like you suddenly don't know these guys...  
> The rating on this story will proooobably change later on, just so you know. 
> 
> And, lastly, of course:  
> Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or anything related to Teenwolf...much to my dismay. But I came up with the plot of this story, so I guess there's that.

_Why did I take this class?!_

Stiles repeated this thought over and over, almost in rhythm with his throbbing headache. Two weeks ago, Creative Writing sounded like something fun, something exciting, and something he could use his energy for. But now? Now, Stiles was regretting his decision on taking this class very, _very_ much.

The grade for the class consisted of two main parts – an essay assignment given at the beginning of the semester, which was due at the end, and a final exam (which was basically just another essay, but you only had 90 minutes or so to write it…).

Stiles wasn’t worried about the exam, at least not yet. What worried him was the first part of his grade. The lecturer thought it would be a _great_ idea to assign genres of text to each student, so they’d have a rough outline as to what they were going for. And Stiles would have been happy with pretty much _any_ of the genres. Except one that is – and guess what he got assigned…

 

“Seriously, who even reads ‘supernatural’ novels anymore?!” he cursed, as if his laptop was at fault for his predicament. The blank, white page of his document wasn’t helping with his anger either – it was like the emptiness was mocking him, calling out and making fun of Stiles’ inability to even form a first idea.

Write some sappy, romantic love story? Doable. Heart wrenching drama that leaves the reader crying? Absolutely. Kid-friendly fairytale, a prince saving a princess? Sure, why not. But this whole idea – vampires, werewolves, demons – it just seemed so far out of Stiles’ comfort zone.

With another frustrated groan, he shut his laptop, more forcefully than necessary, dragged himself over to his bed, and buried his head in his pillow. Stiles wanted to call someone – anyone, for that matter – and lament his sorrow. The worst part is, he knew, if he called his dad, or his best friend Scott, they’d listen - of course they would, but Stiles promised himself, he’d get through college without having to rely on his friends and family for constant emotional support. At least for a while…he could do that – or so he thought. Right now, however, the horrible urge to just give in and pour out all of his anger and frustration to anyone was becoming more and more unbearable.

 

That’s when he remembered something. He’d seen it on some posters around campus a few times, and he faintly remembered receiving a flyer as well. Fueled by his emotional distress, Stiles jumped out of his bed and over to his trash bin. Fortunately, it didn’t take very long for him to find what he was searching for.

In his hands, Stiles held a flyer about a new student app that was becoming more and more popular around campus. It was basically a social network for students to exchange opinions and experiences with their courses, lecturers, assignments, and so on – anonymously. Which might be either the greatest weakness of said app, seeing as many people tend to be on their worst behavior when they think they won’t be held accountable for it, or its greatest selling point – because there was no reason to be embarrassed for seemingly stupid questions.

Either way, in the excruciatingly, intolerably, horribly exhausting twelve minutes and thirty-six seconds Stiles had spent on trying to come up with any idea for his essay, he had pretty much reached the pique of his academic despair – meaning; the idea of having to deal with a few internet trolls for the off-chance of receiving some form of help or input on the topic, had become a valid option.

 

Without hesitating for much longer, Stiles downloaded the app, which took just way too damn long – thank you very much, shitty dorm-building-wifi. In fact, it took so long that Stiles had almost conceded to rather looking up how to deregister from the stupid course. It would’ve probably been only mere seconds before he’d have come to that rather rash decision. Luckily, the obnoxious ‘ping,’ which announced the successful download of the app, stopped any ideas of abandoning any courses in the heat of the moment.

 

About two seconds (and a small heart attack after dropping his phone screen first onto the floor) later, Stiles was lost in thought again.   
“Why does this damn app need me to use a username?” he asked himself and frowned. His creativity was very limited as it is – another reason why taking this Creative Writing course might not have been Stiles’ brightest idea – and he was having a bad day already.

Stiles took a look around his room, searching for inspiration – and, alas, he found it. Lying on his floor. Wrinkled, and probably not smelling too appealing. The Batman symbols on his worn boxers were just what Stiles needed to light the metaphorical bulb in his head.

 

“Batman-Stile,” he muttered to himself with a triumphant grin spreading on his lips. It was perfect! It showed Stiles’ (probably unhealthy) obsession with the Batman franchise, and it was also p-/f-unny, because it was a play on his name…pure genius.

Stiles barely took enough time to get acquainted with the app through its (unfortunately) mandatory tutorial, before typing out his first message.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Hey people, looking for some inspiration for a Creative Writing thing. Anyone have some input? Should be something supernatural…_

Casual and to the point – that’s how Stiles wanted to present his anonymous self, and he felt like his message conveyed that pretty convincingly.

He stared at his phone – a few seconds flew by, which turned to a few minutes. Nothing. Nothing happened. No comments, no reactions – just nothing.

Grumbling, Stiles threw his phone aside and lowered himself on his bed again. What was he to do now? He was pretty much out of ideas – who’d have thought?

With another sigh, he conceded to his overpowering tiredness, hoping that somehow, an idea might occur in his dreams.

A man could hope, right?


	2. Chat me Up

Stiles woke up groggy and with a headache. He felt like he’d been drinking the entire night, and the bright light that seeped in through his window wasn’t helping _at all_. Wait – it was already bright outside?

With a gasp of realization, Stiles shot up from his bed and struggled to look at his watch. It was 2PM already. A short burst of panic arose in his chest as he heaved himself towards his bathroom and tried to make himself look presentable for the day – until another epiphany hit him. It was Saturday. Meaning; no courses today. Also meaning; he spent a perfectly good Friday evening staying in his room and trying to get some work done for his essay. The fact that he hadn’t accomplished anything in that regard seemed to worsen his headache.

 

With a sigh, he left his bathroom and went right back to his bed. He grabbed his phone, wanting to check out which social events he had missed by spending his Friday by himself – though he probably wouldn’t have been invited anyway.

To Stiles surprise, he had a few notifications from the app he had downloaded that evening, and by now, almost forgotten about. There were a few comments on his post, most of which called him an uncreative dweeb. Not a single constructive idea – which was to be expected, but still, Stiles was a little disappointed.

Right before he closed the app, he noticed a letter symbol in the top corner of his screen. A red ‘1’ was blinking on top of it. Stiles clicked the icon, and was surprised to find out that the app had a private message function – he didn’t even realize that.

In his inbox, Stiles found a message from a user named ‘AlphaHD’. Without hesitation, Stiles opened it, hoping it wasn’t someone who was too smart to insult him on his public post, but instead would do so in private.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Hey, I saw your post about the Creative Writing thing…I guess you’re taking Mayer’s class? I got the same assignment and genre, so if you want to brainstorm some ideas, just message me back and maybe we can figure something out together_

For a moment, Stiles was shocked at the adequacy and formality of the message – that’s something he wasn’t used to, at least not on the internet. But to say he was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. In other words; Stiles had hope that this conversation might be a rather pleasant one as he quickly typed out an answer.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Yeah, that’s the class I’m taking. So you were also assigned ‘supernatural’? Nice…gotta admit though, I couldn’t think of a single idea till now…_

Stiles didn’t even know why he felt the urge to respond just as adequately, it just happened – although there really was no need to do so, after all, this was anonymous.

The next answer followed quickly.

 

**AlphaHD _:_** _Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. I mean, you could pretty much write anything you want as long as you include some mythical creature or magic or something along those lines_

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I guess you’re right, but I don’t really think something like Twilight should be considered as a supernatural novel. I mean, the focus is on the romance part and that doesn’t really fit the genre if you ask me_

**AlphaHD:** _Okay, you’ve got a point…so maybe something grimier?_

**Batman-Stile:** _Exactly! Maybe something involving murders…wanna meet up and collect some ideas maybe?_

After the last few messages were exchanged rather swiftly, this one took longer. Stiles waited…and waited…and waited…but there was no answer. He frowned and debated whether he should type out another message. Then again, maybe this person just had to use the toilet or something…and didn’t take their phone with them? Nah, no real person would do that…Maybe there was another emergency. Stiles thought of several different possibilities as to why this AlphaHD didn’t respond anymore, but none seemed too convincing.

Right when he was about to give up, another message came in and startled Stiles out of his thoughts.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Sorry, I don’t think meeting up would be such a good idea…but if you want to, we could still message…?_

Stiles pursed his lips as he reread the answer. It seemed a little suspicious that this person didn’t want to meet up – then again, maybe they were just afraid that Stiles was some kind of weirdo or stalker – then again, he didn’t have any reason to think that said person wasn’t either of those two as well.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I mean if meeting up would make you uncomfortable that’s fine, no pressure. But I’d still like to have someone to share my misery with if you’re up for that lol_

 

**AlphaHD _:_** _Okay that sounds a little dramatic, but I’m sure we can work something out_

**Batman-Stile:** _Ha, unless this app has a block function you won’t be able to stop my inevitable lamenting at the bullshitness of this essay anyways_

 

**AlphaHD:** _I’m beginning to regret my offer_

**Batman-Stile:** _Obviously I’m joking (mostly) I’m still going to message you though_

**AlphaHD:** _There’s no stopping you, is there?_

**Batman-Stile:** _Nope. And now that that’s settled, I think I’ll head out to grab some breakfast, so I’ll ttyl_

 

**AlphaHD:** _Alright then, just hit me up when you’re free:)_

 

Somehow, this stranger using a smiley face seemed odd to Stiles. In the few minutes they’d talked to each other, Stiles had definitely not characterized that person as someone who’d do that.

The low rumbling sound of his stomach urged Stiles to reflect on that later though. He grabbed his jacket, keys, and wallet, and headed out to grab some food.


	3. Pining 101

Derek Hale was miserable. It’s common knowledge, it’s a fact, it’s an easy observation to make. Everyone who knew about his past also knew why he was miserable. And people would agree, he had every right to be so.

In all fairness, he’s gotten better at dealing with the events of his past over the years, but he knew as well as everyone else that he would never be the person he was about ten years ago.

 

Right now, however, he was not miserable because of his past – which was almost an achievement in and of itself. No, for the last weeks, he’s been miserable because of one person and one person alone.

 

“Stop sulking Derek,” his sister, Laura, demanded and poked his head. Her brother scowled and glared at her, trying his best to look intimidating, but pretty much failing miserably – no pun intended.

“I’m not sulking,” he argued and crossed his arms over his chest. Laura stared at him blankly and raised an eyebrow.

“Oh yeah right, this is your happy face…I forgot,” she remarked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

 

Honestly, Derek knew that he looked pathetic. And it’s all just because of him. That stupid boy from his stupid Creative Writing class with his stupid moles and his stupid dimples and his stupidly beautiful smile and his stupidly gorgeous eyes. Stupid Stiles Stilinski…

 

“You want me to tell you what you could do to feel better?” Laura questioned as she took a seat next to Derek on the couch he’d been occupying for pretty much the last two weeks – either completely invested in a book or just staring at nothing in particular while thinking about stupid Stiles and how miserable he felt because of him. Well, technically not because of him, but rather because of the lack of Stiles in Derek’s life.

“Moving away to Europe?” Derek countered and frowned. His sister rolled her eyes and sighed.

“ _Or_ you could just talk to him. Ask him out, make your existence known, I don’t care, but please – _please_ – do something! You’ve been more grumpy than ever and it’s starting to really piss me off,” Laura argued back.

 

Honestly, Derek regretted telling his sister about this whole ordeal, but she was pretty much the only friend he had, and she was certainly the only person he knew who could relate to his struggles and problems.

 

“In case you haven’t noticed Laura, I’m the most socially inept being alive. You are pretty much the only person I can talk to on a somewhat normal level. Add to that that I’m a freakin’ werewolf, and there you have it. He’ll think I’m crazy or some kind or serial killer with a stupid sense of humor! I’m pretty much set up for failure!”

Laura sighed again and closed her eyes briefly. She hated it when her brother got down on himself so much. He deserved a chance at happiness for once in his life, and she hated that he wouldn’t let himself have that chance.

“Listen. You don’t need to drop the wolf-bomb right away, okay? You can just get to know him and see where things go – but in order for that to be a possibility, you need to speak to him!”

 

Derek sunk back into the couch. Of course, he knew that his sister had a point, but starting out a friendship or…whatever he’d hope to develop with Stiles, based on lies – or lack of truth – was probably not a good idea.

“I don’t know…I’ll think of something,” Derek finally gave in, not because he really had the intention to do so, but rather because he was tired of having the same conversation over and over again, like he had for the last week or so.

Laura seemed to give in, at least for the moment, as she stood up and made her way to her room, leaving Derek to his thoughts again.

 

He sat in silence for a while, contemplating what to do next. He didn’t want to think about Stiles anymore. Well, that was kind of a lie, because there was almost nothing he’d rather do, but he shouldn’t.

Hoping for some kind of distraction, Derek grabbed his phone. His sister had installed some strange app where students of the local college could chat and discuss anything college-related anonymously. Derek never posted anything himself, he thought it was stupid and unnecessary (also, his sister chose a stupidly embarrassing screen name for him and he didn’t want anyone to see that), but he liked to read through the posts of others sometimes. There were some hilarious gems hidden throughout the vast sea of ‘Where can I get cheap booze?’ posts.

Unfortunately, it seemed like there weren’t many of those posted today, and Derek was about to give up on finding anything remotely interesting when one post in particular caught his attention. Technically, it wasn’t the post itself at first, but rather the username of the author.

“Batman-Stile?” Derek muttered to himself as he squinted his eyes.

“What was that?” his sister yelled from her room.

“Nothing,” Derek quickly dismissed. Stupid Laura…stupid werewolf hearing. Stupid lack of privacy.

 

Again, he tried to put the puzzle pieces together in his head. The username was spelled Stile, not Style…as in Stiles. Then the Batman part. From numerous social media stalkings – for which Laura still made fun of him – Derek had gathered quite some information on Stiles Stilinski. One, he played Lacrosse in school. Two, Batman was, without a doubt, Stiles’ favorite superhero – which Derek found strangely funny, intriguing, and somewhat adorable at the same time. Stupid Stiles and his stupid cute ways…

Adding those two hints, Derek was about 97.4% sure, this user, Batman-Stile, was Stiles Stilinski.

Hoping for further confirmation of his theory, Derek read through the post. It was speaking of the Creative Writing course both he and Stiles took. That pretty much verified Derek’s suspicion. And the best part? Stiles was looking for help, for inspiration on his assignment – an essay…about the supernatural. As in werewolves. Oh _hell_ to the yeah. Talking anonymously and in private about something Derek definitely had some knowledge of? Yup, he could do that. At least that’s what he told himself over and over again while typing out a message to Stiles – or, Batman-Stile. Derek quickly hit ‘Send’ before he could change his mind, but right after that, he threw his phone aside as if it was scorching his skin.

 

What had he just done?!


	4. How to Talk to your Crush

Derek stared at his phone lying across from him on the other end of the couch. He waited for something, anything, to happen. But there was nothing.

After about five minutes of staring – or observing, as Derek liked to think of it, he grabbed his phone again. No notifications. Of course not, why did he expect anything at all? This entire thing was a stupid idea and he was embarrassed.

“Stupid,” he muttered to himself before he went to his room to get a few hours of sleep in. At least it was the weekend – two days to do exactly nothing. Just great.

 

The next morning, Derek woke up still feeling somewhat exhausted, yet unable to go back to sleep. Going back to college really screwed his sleep schedule up, and he just wasn’t getting used to it.

Trying to wake himself up, Derek went to take an ice cold shower. Fifteen minutes and three bump-ins with the wall later, he felt as good as new…or at least a little better than before, but hey – it was a start.

When he sauntered towards the kitchen to get himself a much needed cup of coffee, Derek noticed his phone, still lying on the couch. He frowned and went to grab it, remembering the events of the past evening, when he noticed a blinking light which indicated a notification. A message – from ‘Batman-Stile’.

 

Derek nearly dropped his phone, a sudden wave of anxiety and excitement hitting him as he read through the response.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Yeah, that’s the class I’m taking. So you were also assigned ‘supernatural’? Nice…gotta admit though, I couldn’t think of a single idea till now…_

 

Derek’s sudden change in mood seemed to attract the attention of Laura as well, as she stuck her head out of her room and squinted at him, her nostrils flaring. Stupid heightened werewolf senses…

“Everything alright?” Laura questioned with a concerned undertone. Derek looked back at her, his eyes wide open and mouth hanging ajar.

“Uh…,” was all he could offer before Laura walked over to him and grabbed his phone right out of his hands. She quickly read through the short exchange, then looked at her brother again.

“Is this who I think it is?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I uh…I’m not sure,” Derek answered – which was not a complete lie, although he was pretty sure of the identity of the person he’d been messaging.

Laura just grins and hands the phone back. She looked so damn proud of herself…probably because it was her who installed the stupid app.

“Go on then. You’re gonna answer him, right?” she teased, a somehow challenging smirk on her lips. Derek stares at her for a moment, debating whether or not he should lock himself inside of his room and do this in private. Or maybe he shouldn’t answer at all…Oh god, where was he supposed to go with this?

Slowly, putting probably way too much thought into it, Derek types out his answer.

 

**AlphaHD _:_** _Don’t worry, we’ll figure something out. I mean, you could pretty much write anything you want as long as you include some mythical creature or magic or something along those lines_

 

Laura, who’d been eyeing Derek’s typing over his shoulder, nods in approval.

“Good start,” she remarked, earning her a scowly glare from Derek – though, to be fair, ‘scowly’ is pretty much his only mood.

“You know, I’m pretty mad about this username. It’s stupid,” Derek spat disapprovingly. Laura just shrugged and raised her hands defensively in a way that’s probably supposed to mean ‘As if you would’ve come up with anything more creative’. And Derek would really like to get into this conversation, but the arrival of Stiles’ (or Batman-Stile’s…whatever) next message distracted him from the problem at hand.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I guess you’re right, but I don’t really think something like Twilight should be considered as a supernatural novel. I mean, the focus is on the romance part and that doesn’t really fit the genre if you ask me_

 

“Oh my god, does that mean he’s seen Twilight? Or worse – read it? He’s a catch…” Laura sputtered, barely able to contain her laughter. Derek just did, what he does best – he scowled at her. He just resigned to the fact that he’d have to ignore his sister’s teasing.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Okay, you’ve got a point…so maybe something grimier?_

 

At this point, Laura had become almost as invested as Derek in the conversation and was staring at the phone’s screen with anticipation. The two didn’t have to wait long for an answer, though it wasn’t really what Derek had hoped for…

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Exactly! Maybe something involving murders…wanna meet up and collect some ideas maybe?_

 

And just like that, Derek went from ‘This is fine, I can do this’ to ‘Fuck no’ in a matter of two seconds.

“I can’t do this,” he admitted and tried to shove his phone away, only for Laura to hold onto his wrist and stop him.

“What do you mean?! You were doing great and he actually wants to meet up! This is, like, the ideal outcome,” she scolded, taking hold of the phone herself. Derek growled a little, but it lacked sincerity.

Because, of course he would like to meet up with Stiles. Of course he’d like to discuss this stupid essay with him. Of course he’d like to talk about stuff he actually has some insight in. But he also didn’t want to make a fool of himself, which was what inevitably would happen if he’d have to talk to Stiles live and in person.

“Laura I can’t meet up with him! Talking through messages is fine, but I would literally just sit and stare at him until he’s creeped out and walks away if we met up,” Derek whined – literally, whined – like a scared little child. Laura looked like she wanted to smack either her of Derek’s head against a wall – maybe both.

“Answer him or I’m going to do it,” she threatened and held out Derek’s phone. He didn’t want to, he really didn’t. He just wanted to forget this ever happened. But unfortunately, Laura could be very stubborn.

With a sigh, Derek finally gave in. He reluctantly typed out a message and hit send.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Sorry, I don’t think meeting up would be such a good idea…but if you want to, we could still message…?_

“You’re such a…” Laura muttered, more to herself than to Derek. Although he could pretty much guess what she was going to say, and the worst part is, she was probably right about it.

Derek waited anxiously for a response – on the one hand, if Stiles didn’t want to keep the conversation up because Derek was too afraid to meet up in person, that’d be fine and the thing would be over with. On the other hand, Derek desperately wanted Stiles to keep talking to him.

After, what felt like, hours without a response, Derek was about to give up when another message came in.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I mean if meeting up would make you uncomfortable that’s fine, no pressure. But I’d still like to have someone to share my misery with if you’re up for that lol_

 

Strike. Kinda…Laura looked pleased with the response, and Derek would be lying if he said he wasn’t. At least, this was a start…


	5. How not to Talk to your Crush

“What are you doing?! Don’t just stare at your damn phone, you have to save this somehow!” Laura scolded and hit her brother on the shoulder. Derek, however, wasn’t paying much attention to her – much to Laura’s dismay – although, he did, in fact, answer.

 

**AlphaHD _:_** _Okay that sounds a little dramatic, but I’m sure we can work something out_

 

“Maybe you should try being nice to him, you know? Since he doesn’t call you out for potentially being a creeper,” Laura continued. At this point, she was pretty much just having a monologue, while Derek had given up listening to her. Nothing good ever came from listening to Laura…

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Ha, unless this app has a block function you won’t be able to stop my inevitable lamenting at the bullshitness of this essay anyways_

 

Derek smiled to himself as he read through Stiles’ message. As if he would ever want to block his contact just because he was talking too much…or because of anything, for that matter.

 

**AlphaHD:** _I’m beginning to regret my offer_

 

“Are you freakin’ stupid? You know people don’t get when you’re being sarcastic over text, right?” Laura scolded, and Derek’s eyes went wide for a second, thinking he might’ve overstepped.

“Shit…” he muttered to himself and tried to come up with something to save the situation, but before he could do so, another message plopped in.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Obviously I’m joking (mostly) I’m still going to message you though_

**AlphaHD:** _There’s no stopping you, is there?_

“Tell me how we’re related again? You literally just almost scared him away and you’re doing it again! Derek I swear, I’m going to smack you so hard-“ Laura’s rambling was interrupted  by another message. Why Stiles kept talking to her brother was beyond her – either Stiles was desperate, or stupid. And neither of those two options would make him a great match for her brother.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Nope. And now that that’s settled, I think I’ll head out to grab some breakfast, so I’ll ttyl_

 

Derek smiled dopily at his screen again and was about to type out another snarky remark. Luckily, Laura managed to stop him this time around. And by stop, I mean snatch Derek’s phone out of his hand, deleting whatever crap he’d typed up, and instead coming up with a message of her own.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Alright then, just hit me up when you’re free:)_

“There you go, ending it on a high note,” she chimed as Derek just scowled at her.

“I can do this on my own, you know?” he insisted, but his sister just waved her hand dismissively.

“Sure you can. I’m just speeding up the process,” Laura insisted with a shrug.

Of course, Derek wasn’t the most…adept person when it came to anything related to social activity and interaction – but he was still too proud to let his sister help him like that. Well, mostly. Her last message might’ve saved him from embarrassing himself further.

For now, Derek was happy with things had turned out however. He just had a good feeling, something tiny and warm in his stomach that made him feel giddy. He wondered if this was how it felt to really be happy – it had been so long…

Deciding he needed to clear his head a little, Derek changed into some loose fitting shirt and sweats.

“I’m going for a run,” he announced as he grabbed his keys.

“Sure, just be home before it gets too dark,” Laura replied teasingly. She could almost feel Derek’s eye roll, but she couldn’t help it. Teasing her brother was way too easy and fun…

 

Yes, having Laura around constantly had his perks and all, but she could just be so…annoying if she wanted to. But she and Derek always worked through their differences – after all, they were all the other had left of their family.

 

Running had always been something Derek could do to clear his mind. It kept him occupied, it distracted his thoughts for a while, he could just forget everything for a while. Somehow, he always ended up in the woods. Maybe it was just some instinctual pull towards the wilderness that his wolf experienced. It wasn’t something Derek really had conscious control over, but he never complained. He liked being in the woods, liked being alone and just surrounded by nature. He somehow felt at home and at peace out there.

Today was no different. Derek breathed in the cool air and earthy smells, his wolf howling in joy. It urged to be let out, to enjoy nature just like Derek did.

Taking a look around, Derek realized that he was all alone, no living soul around. A little cardio for the wolf couldn’t hurt now, could it? Derek inhaled once more, he closed his eyes, letting his senses succumb to his surroundings. It didn’t take long before his human form began to shift away, crossing over to his animalistic side. Bones popping, fur sprouting, fangs extending. Only a few seconds later, the young man was gone, replaced by a tall, black wolf.

 

Derek didn’t waste any time, he let his feet carry him and sprinted through the thicket. He rarely felt this free anymore – safety and caution demanded for him to control his wolf, to never let any part of it show when he was with others, and, going to college in a rather big city, that was pretty much all the time.

Derek didn’t even realize how late it had gotten, he had been running around aimlessly for hours now and came to lay down on a small clearing to catch his breath. The cool breeze deprived of the sun’s rays helped to chill his burning skin. He curled in on himself, laying his head on his paws and before he knew it, Derek drifted off into sleep, lulled in by the sounds of birds and the wild life that surrounded him.


	6. Wolves in California?

Going grocery shopping while you’re hungry is _not_ a good idea. You’d think after the third time Stiles would’ve realized that, but no. There he stood, about to pay almost one hundred bucks for food he couldn’t possibly devour by himself before it would turn moldy. Then again, the true half-life period of these store-bought churros was yet to be determined…

A little while later, Stiles arrived back at his dorm building, two full bags of various groceries in his arms. For now, he’d settle with some sandwiches. He ripped open a few packages of processed meats and cheese, before stacking a few slices of bread. It was nothing fancy, but it’d do – just typical ‘poor student college food’.

After finishing his late breakfast (more like lunch…), Stiles put away the rest of his groceries before staring at them with a wary look.

“I’ll never finish all that,” he muttered to himself as he grabbed a bag of chips and went to lie down on his bed.

As he shoved some of the food in his mouth occasionally, Stiles’ thoughts drifted off to his assignment again. He still had zero clues what he wanted to write about, and it was slowly starting to piss him off. How difficult could this be? He could come up with pretty much anything!

With a frustrated groan, Stiles realized his legs shaking nervously – probably his ADHD kicking in. He tried to control himself for a little while, grabbing his phone and checking whether there were any new messages from AlphaHD – but of course, there weren’t. After all, Stiles said he’d reach out to them again. He debated whether he should do that right now, in hopes of distracting himself from his nascent nervous fits, but he just didn’t feel like he was in the right mood to get any sort of work done. So, instead, Stiles decided it might be a good idea to exhaust himself a little and escape his tiny, messy room for a while.

Grabbing his jacket, Stiles decided it couldn’t hurt to bring some snacks along the way, so he took his opened pack of chips and headed out the door.

The air was chilly, but not too cool – California had its perks, and the constant mild to hot temperatures was one of them, for Stiles at least. He’d occasionally strolled around the campus without any real destination, and today was no different, aside from the fact that he’d never really been out and about for this long. Stiles’ legs just felt restless and were pretty much moving on their own accord. Stiles didn’t mind though, he always thought long walks and fresh air were quite relaxing.

 

Eventually, Stiles left campus and walked onwards towards the outskirts of the city – the college buildings weren’t far from the city border after all.

About ten minutes later, Stiles ended up at the edge of a forest. He internally debated whether he should head back or keep going for a little while longer. Looking down at his half-empty pack of chips and judging by the still present buzz he felt under his skin, Stiles decided that he could probably go a little further before he’d need to turn around.

 

Being in the forest really added to the whole relaxation process, there was pretty much no one and nothing around, except trees and the occasional bird or squirrel. Stiles would have to take a mental note to come here more often if he felt like clearing his head.

After a while, Stiles reached a small clearing. It was nothing spectacular, just a little patch of grass really. Stiles took a quick look around and smiled to himself before he realized there was something a few feet away, lying in the grass.

It looked like a big, black pile of…something. Stiles couldn’t quite make out what it was, but it seemed like it didn’t really belong there. He wanted to take a step forward, to take a closer look.

That’s when the pile moved. Something lifted itself from the ground and suddenly, a pair of strange pale green eyes were staring around, meeting Stiles’ stunned gaze.

 

Stiles gulped. Lying in front of him was a dog – a massive, black dog. No, this thing, this animal was probably way too big to be a dog, but…there are no wolves in California, right?

Stiles breath was becoming shaky, he was petrified. He wanted to move, to run away – though that might not have been the best idea, considering he was faced with a predatory, wild animal.

As the wolf slowly rose to its feet, Stiles closed his eyes, awaiting his fate silently and in horror. But when nothing happened and nothing seemed to move for a minute or so, he slowly opened his eyes again. The wolf was still standing there, eyes locked on Stiles. Its ears twitched a little, but aside from that, the wolf didn’t seem to be moving at all.

“Please don’t kill me,” Stiles breathed, regaining a little control over his body and mind. As if it the universe was making fun of Stiles, and torturing him before his untimely death, the wolf took one careful step forward before halting.

Stiles stiffened again. If he was to run away now, the animal would probably catch and kill him – that’s how predatory instincts work, right? Instead, he tried to stay calm and not move, hoping the wolf would lose interest.

Taking another few, careful steps forward, the wolf kept his eyes on Stiles the entire time, as if it was actually waiting for him to run off – or at least do something – but Stiles couldn’t bring himself to do anything at all.

A few more moments passed, before the wolf was finally close enough to Stiles to where it probably could snap at him if it wanted to – which was what Stiles was expecting at this moment. Now, imagine his surprise when the wolf did not do that, but instead bumped its nose against his leg.

As if this movement broke the last of Stiles’ fragile stability, his knees gave out and he landed on his butt, coming face to face with the predator in front of him.


	7. Soothing your Potential Killer

Breathing isn’t so important, right? At least that’s what Stiles told himself over and over again while cowering, leaning back on his arms for support, and praying that somehow, this wolf was not about to rip his throat out.

This absolutely un-wolf-like behavior was starting to weird Stiles out almost as much as the fact that he hadn’t been killed yet. Maybe this wolf had rabies? Stiles had read somewhere that rabid animals act uncharacteristically…then again, there was no trace of froth, and till now, the wolf hadn’t bitten him. In fact, it seemed not aggressive at all. It hadn’t moved since Stiles fell down, but kept its gaze locked on the boy, like it was trying to assess the situation.

Willing his nerves to calm down a little, Stiles tried to move backwards a little – until the twitching of the wolf’s face convinced him not to do so. Maybe it was just waiting for Stiles to make a sudden movement to spur on a hunt through the forest. In other words, getting away wasn’t really an option. And what else was there left to do for Stiles?

 

“H-hey there buddy…don’t kill me, okay?” Stiles whispered, trying to sound as calm as possible – because the only thing he could think of that might save him now, was befriending the animal.

The wolf blinked at Stiles and tilted its head, almost like it understood. Stiles, in turn, decided that he didn’t really have much to lose at this point and carefully, and very slowly extended his hand towards the animal.

The fact that the wolf didn’t bite him immediately was a good sign. The fact that it sniffed his hand before bumping its nose against Stiles’ fingers was a _great_ freakin’ sign!

Stiles stretched his arm even further until he could reach the bristly fur of the wolf. It was coarse and thick, but somehow felt comfortable under Stiles slow and steady strokes. The animal even seemed to enjoy Stiles’ touch – it seemed to relax and lean into it.

Stiles let out a sigh of relief – maybe he still had a chance of getting out of this situation alive. As he rubbed the wolf’s fur with increasing confidence, the animal actually stepped closer until it took a seat right next to Stiles. This was definitely not normal wolf-behavior…right? It bumped its nose against Stiles’ leg, as if prompting him to sit up. Stiles was glad to comply, but kept stroking the wolf’s fur, hoping it would soothe the animal. Maybe it would fall back asleep at some point and he could make a run for it? Until then, he’d have to sit this out though.

 

About three minutes into stroking the big bad wolf while still keeping up eye-contact (which felt increasingly and strangely intimate), Stiles noticed his bag of chips lying next to him. He must’ve dropped it when he fell down…Maybe this wolf was into junk food? It certainly didn’t seem put off by human interaction, so maybe it has been around the city for a while and actually met other people before.

As he grabbed a handful of chips and extended them towards the wolf, Stiles pulse was skyrocketing again. Now that he thought about it, offering the animal food might not be the best idea – then again, it might’ve been just a little too late to change his mind now as his hand was hovering only a few inches away from the beast’s mouth.

Stiles was surprised yet again, when the wolf sniffed his hand before delicately picking up some of the chips using its soft, warm tongue. In fact, it finished all of the food Stiles offered before proceeding to lick his hand clean of the salty remnants. (Was that even healthy for canines?)

What was strange though, was the fact that the licking didn’t stop, even after Stiles was sure his hand was absolutely and without a doubt completely clean. Instead, it seemed to turn into a somewhat affectionate gesture. Which was good, right? Because that was the plan all along – befriending the animal. And that seemed to be going terrific when the wolf suddenly stopped licking Stiles’ hand and instead moved forward to bump its nose against Stiles’ neck. For a moment, Stiles thought now was the time when it would rip his throat out, but, alas, instead it just sniffed at his neck before licking it once or twice and then pulling back. Stiles couldn’t help but giggle at the strange, wet, tickling feeling.

Stiles slowly rose to his feet, patting the wolf’s head in the process once more. He smiled a little, feeling way more at ease than he did just minutes ago.

“You really aren’t going to kill me, huh? You’re not a wild beast, are you?” Stiles cooed at the wolf. He felt like now might be a good time to slowly make an escape – not to say that having a little bonding session with a wild animal wasn’t nice, but it was actually getting dark, and Stiles needed to get back to campus while he could still find his way.

“Sorry buddy, but I need to get home,” he explained as he dusted off his jeans and started pacing towards the path from which he came. To Stiles surprise, the wolf followed him and started whining – then again, he should’ve probably expected this after feeding the poor thing.

“I can’t take you with me. I’m not allowed to have pets,” Stiles joked and carded his fingers through the wolf’s fur once more. That didn’t seem to put the animal to rest though as it continued to whine miserably and bumped his head against Stiles’ legs, sniffing occasionally. It was actually almost heartbreaking to watch. Stiles felt bad for the wolf; maybe it was all alone out here, without any others, without a pack. Maybe it was just lonely.

 

Stiles debated what to do. He could definitely not be seen walking around the city with an actual wolf, and he most certainly couldn’t take it home with him.

“How about this,” Stile begun – as if the animal could actually understand him, “I promise to come back so we can hang out again.” He took off his jacket and laid it down in front of the wolf. It seemed to like his smell, and wolfs recognized others by their scent, so maybe this would help.

“Until then you’ve got my jacket to keep you company, alright? Smells just like me.”

The wolf – to Stiles’ surprise – actually stopped the whining as it sniffed the jacket. It looked up at him again and blinking slowly before taking the jacket gingerly with its teeth, like it accepted the offer. To say Stiles was weirded out by that would be the understatement of the century…He couldn’t let himself ponder on the seeming intelligence of the wolf for too long though, as a cold breeze hit him. Without his jacket, Stiles felt pretty cold and couldn’t wait to get back to his room, or, more accurately, into his bed.

“See you soon buddy,” he chimed as he walked towards the trees, glancing over his shoulder occasionally. The wolf remained in its position, jacket in its mouth, eyes locked on Stiles, but it made no movement. Soon, it was out of sight, and Stiles sighed in relief before hurrying back to campus.

 

When he arrived at his room, Stiles was freezing. The first thing he did was throw a blanket around himself as he trotted over to his bed to curl up.

Before he did so however, something hit him. A sudden idea popped into his head, it almost felt like a lightbulb had just been turned on.

Needing to hold onto his epiphany, Stiles grabbed his phone and opened his chat with AlphaHD.

 

 **Batman-Stile:** _I just came up with the perfect idea!_


	8. The Struggle between Man and Wolf

Derek didn’t really know how it happened – one moment, he’s soundly asleep, and the next Stiles is standing in front of him while he’s in his wolf skin. Derek didn’t even know why he didn’t wake when he felt someone approaching – maybe his wolf recognized Stiles’ heartbeat and scent and didn’t feel threatened.

And now, there he was. Derek stood, facing Stiles, and unable to move. His human mind screamed at him to get away from here, but his instincts begged him to get closer to Stiles, to enjoy his familiar scent, to find comfort in his presence.

Stiles didn’t seem able to move either – the only thing he did, was beg Derek not to kill him. Which he wouldn’t, of course, but Stiles couldn’t know that.

Slowly, Derek’s instincts and the wolf’s want seemed to take over as he couldn’t stop himself from taking a single step forward. To his surprise, Stiles didn’t immediately run off. He stood there like he was in shock and unable to move. Taking this as a _great_ sign, the wolf decided to step even closer, ignoring Derek’s pleas to not do so. But controlling these urges, these instincts seemed impossible right now.

 

It wasn’t until Derek stood right in front of Stiles and nudged his leg, causing the boy to fall down, that he could put at least a little stop to what his wolf wished to do. Instead of jumping Stiles and rubbing his scent all over the poor boy, Derek managed to stay calm and wait for Stiles to react, giving him at least some time to calm down. His heartbeat was dangerously fast – evidently a sign of panic.

When Stiles opened his eyes again, his panic slightly subdued, Derek had to muster up every ounce of willpower he could to stop himself from growling as Stiles tried to move backwards. If the boy wanted to go Derek wouldn’t stop him. Unfortunately, it seemed as if Derek’s control wasn’t as great as he had hoped, seeing as Stiles stopped his movements and his heartbeat quickened once more. Maybe Derek had moved in a way that suggested a threat? He didn’t know for sure.

 

As Stiles stopped moving again, Derek wanted to run off, he wanted to give Stiles the chance to get away, but all the willpower and strength Derek mustered up was useless when Stiles began to extend his arm towards him.

“H-hey there buddy…don’t kill me, okay?” Stiles said and stopped his hand in mid-air. Again, Derek’s human urges to get away and make Stiles feel save again were thrown overboard by his wolf’s needs. (Not to say that Derek’s human side wouldn’t want to be close to Stiles as well, but he knew this wasn’t the right way.)

Derek was unable to stop his wolf from leaning forward and sniffing at Stiles’ hand, and that was all it took. The boy’s sweet scent, something mixed with cinnamon, and a hint of saltiness, maybe from something he’d eaten, along with the slightest hint of fear dulled all of Derek’s other senses until nothing else was left in this world but Stiles.

The boy seemed to calm down when Derek bumped his hand with his nose. In fact, Stiles was actually courageous enough to extend his arm further and begin to slowly stroke Derek’s fur.

The touch was everything the wolf had hoped for and more. It was soft, gentle, and felt like safety and home. He couldn’t help but lean into it slightly – not only because it felt so right, but also because Derek hoped this might ease Stiles’ mind.

After a little while, Derek took a seat next to Stiles, his want to get away from the boy long gone. Instead, Derek resolved to enjoy this moment while it lasted – who knew when or if he would ever be this close to Stiles again.

Derek stared at the boy, taking in his facial features; the moles, the plump lips, the messy hair, and those damn bright, beautiful eyes. To Derek’s surprise, Stiles kept eye-contact with him as he continued to stroke his fur.

 

After a short while, Stiles grabbed for something behind him. There was an opened pack of chips which Derek hadn’t even noticed until now. He was almost shocked when Stiles took out some of the food and offered it to him. Derek, of course, gently took it, more to ease Stiles’ mind than out of actual hunger. Maybe it was also an excuse to lick Stiles’ hand? Yeah…probably. In fact, even after all of the chips were gone, Derek – or was it his wolf? – continued to clean Stiles’ hand. The boy didn’t seem to mind, but of course, he didn’t know that this was actually another man licking his fingers – which would be definitely strange, maybe borderline rapey?

 

Before Derek really knew what was happening, and before he could stop it, his wolf had decided it would be an awesome idea to get even closer to Stiles, to bury his snout in Stiles’ neck and take in the boy’s scent while rubbing its own there. Maybe there was also some more licking involved, again, Derek wasn’t quite sure that was something he or the wolf wanted.

“You really aren’t going to kill me, huh? You’re not a wild beast, are you?” Stiles cooed, and Derek felt somehow belittled, but also proud of himself for conveying his non-threatening presence. When Stiles actually began to move away, Derek couldn’t stop the whining that escaped his throat – he also couldn’t stop his wolf from following Stiles. So much for non-threatening, huh?

“I can’t take you with me. I’m not allowed to have pets.” Of course, Derek knew that much, but that didn’t stop his wolf. The prospect of letting Stiles go, to possibly never be this close again, was something he couldn’t bear.

Somehow, Stiles seemed to somewhat understand what was going through Derek’s – or rather his wolf’s – mind. His mood shifted into something that was interweaved with pity and sadness, but Derek didn’t really know why. He couldn’t ponder on the thought for too long though, as Stiles took off his jacket and laid it down on the ground.

“How about this; I promise to come back so we can hang out again. Until then you’ve got my jacket to keep you company, alright? Smells just like me.”

If he was in his human form, Derek would probably sigh dreamily at what Stiles had just said. He recognized that Derek’s wolf was drawn to his scent, so Stiles left something that actually smelled like him. Derek’s wolf was jumping in happiness and more than glad to pick up the discarded jacket like a peace offering.

“See you soon buddy,” was the last thing Stiles said before he took off. Derek’s gaze was still fixed on the boy, who occasionally turned around and smiled at him, before he disappeared in the forest.

 

It took Derek a few minutes to regain his composure. What just happened was quite a lot to take in. Did Stiles really intend to return? Why was he not scared shitless of a wild animal? How did he even end up here? What was Derek to do now?

All of these questions would have to wait – for now, Derek needed to get back home before his wolf could come up with the great idea to follow Stiles.

Derek _did_ take the jacket with him…for scientific purposes, of course. Or maybe he just couldn’t bring himself to leave it, maybe the lingering smell of Stiles on it was just something he needed in his life…

His way home was just a blur, before he knew it, Derek was standing in his apartment again. He tucked Stiles’ jacket under his mattress, somehow needing the smell. It was weird, alright? But still, Derek couldn’t help himself.

He was about to go to bed, hoping that sleep might help calm his running mind so he could make sense of all that had happened the next morning – but the universe had other plans. Just when Derek was about to fall asleep, Laura returned home – god knows where she’d been – and slowly made her way over to his room. She opened the door and eyed Derek, who couldn’t help but gulp, suspiciously.

 

“What’s that smell?”


	9. Being the Inspiration

“Uhh…” Derek remarked oh so adequately. Laura just pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Of course Derek couldn’t lie to her, stupid werewolf senses and all, but he wasn’t quite sure how to explain what just happened.

“Derek, either you tell me what’s going on or I have to grab whatever you put under your mattress myself, and I swear, if you hid condoms there, I’m gonna…”

“What?! No! Just…I can’t really explain it, okay?” Derek quickly interrupted, flailing his arms helplessly. He really couldn’t quite explain it, but now he’d have to try.

And just like that, Derek jumped into the story. He told his sister how he’d been out for a run, how he fell asleep in the forest, how Stiles found him, and how the boy tried to befriend the wolf, how he left his jacket, and promised to come back. Laura listened intently, an unreadable expression on her face the entire time. Finally, after Derek finished his story, she shook her head and sighed.

“You could’ve _probably_ handled that better,” she admitted with a light chuckle.

“Yeah, no shit,” Derek agreed and groaned, “So what am I going to do now?”

Laura tapped her chin and hummed like she was actually considering how to answer that. Before she could come up with a master-plan however, a shrill ‘ping’ sound, produced by Derek’s phone, interrupted her. Derek quickly scrambled to reach it before Laura could and only mildly (okay, maybe majorly) panicked when he saw who sent the message. Ignoring Laura’s inquiries, Derek opened it.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I just came up with the perfect idea!_

 

Oh oh…Derek had a feeling this wasn’t going to be good.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Yeah? Let’s hear it_

 

Derek didn’t have to wait long for an answer, almost as if Stiles had typed out the message already and was just patiently waiting to send it.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _So picture this: A boy walks into the forest one night and finds a wolf, and he’s totally freaked out because there shouldn’t be any wolves in this forest and then he’s scared, but the wolf doesn’t attack him, it’s actually kinda friendly, and then the boy befriends the wolf, but later it turns out that the wolf is actually a werewolf and the boy freaks out because werewolves don’t exist, and then he’s dragged into this whole story about finding out there’s more out there than he could’ve imagined_

“Oh god, kill me please,” Derek muttered as he reread the message. He let himself drop back on his bed and just wanted to hit his head against the nearest wall. The good part was that Derek could now be sure that he’d actually been writing with Stiles…which was not as much of a consolation as he’d hoped.

Laura, who’d grabbed his phone and read through the message as well, just laughed hysterically.

“He wants to write about you,” she managed to get out between fits of laughter. Derek just glared at her, simply because he was unsure of what else to do.

“Come on, answer the poor kid,” she teased and pointed at Derek’s phone. He muttered some profanities but grabbed it anyways.

 

**AlphaHD:** _That’s a pretty good idea, how did you come up with that?_

**Batman-Stile:** _Ha you wouldn’t believe me if I told you;)_

 

Oh god…Derek could feel something between embarrassment, anger, and, strangely enough, fondness bubble up inside of him. He looked over to his sister, who was trying to hold in her laughter, but failed miserably. When Derek glared at her, she just shrugged and grinned.

“You got yourself into this mess, don’t try and blame me,” she scolded playfully. And the worst part was, she was absolutely right…Derek wished he could just go back in time and fix this mess, but unfortunately that was not really an option.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _So I thought about this, and it’d be kind of a dick move for me to just tell you about this awesome idea while you still don’t know what you’re writing about, right? So I’d say we could do this as a partner work, I don’t think Harrison would have a problem with that if we just put in a few extra pages, but that would mean that we’d need to meet up or at least exchange numbers or email addresses and you’ve already said you wouldn’t want that sooo…maybe this’ll change your mind?:p_

“You better accept that offer Derek,” Laura threatened as she read through the message before handing the phone back to Derek. He looked terrified, and Laura was sure he was about to decline again, but she was having none of that.

“At least consider it, idiot. This might be just the chance you need,” she offered and did her best to suppress any more fits of laughter in favor of a honest and genuine smile, hoping to reassure her brother.

Derek, in turn, worried his lower lip. He looked a little lost in thought before he typed out his answer.

 

**AlphaHD:** _That could be nice…I’ll think about it and let you know soon, okay?_

 

Laura looked mildly pleased with Derek’s answer. She knew, of course, that he _wanted_ to just say yes, but her brother had some real issues and she understood why he was tentative about the whole thing. Still, this was at least a start.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _That’s pretty much a ‘yes’ so I’ll take it;) See you on Monday in class…or not, but you get what I mean:p_

“It’s almost like he wants you to be happy,” Laura remarked with a grin, earning her an eyeroll and exasperated sigh from Derek.

“I think this might be a good idea…if he turns out to be an ass I’ll just kick his teeth in, okay?” she finally offered before getting up from Derek’s bed and making her way over to the door.

“Thanks Laura,” Derek muttered as she left while she smiled back at him. Maybe his sister was right…maybe he should just take this chance. What’s the worst thing that could happen? Wait – no, don’t think about that.

 

Derek sunk back on his bed, mind still racing. He really wanted this to work out, but a little part of him was just holding him back and begging to let the whole thing go. Derek didn’t want to listen to that little voice – for the first time in a long time, he wanted to go with his gut and make this work.

As Derek grabbed Stiles’ jacket from under his mattress, clutching it to his chest, and inhaling the scent of the boy, his mind seemed to come to rest. It didn’t take Derek long to fall asleep while holding the jacket tightly.


	10. The List

Turns out, the next Creative Writing class was nothing special for Derek. He wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting – but he _did_ expect at least something. He did see Stiles (no surprise there), and in this moment, Derek was so happy that the boy didn’t have the same werewolf senses he possessed…because Stiles would smell himself all over Derek.

So what if he’s been sleeping and cuddling with Stiles jacket? So what if the smell comforts him? So what if Laura has made fun of him ever since? Derek did not regret a single minute of sad, lonely jacket-cuddling.

He also thought about Stiles’ proposal to meet up and do the essay together (a lot!), but Derek wasn’t quite sure what he was supposed to do yet. Social awkwardness and Laura’s constant teasing aside, Derek just wanted some time to think about it, maybe get used to the idea of actually speaking to Stiles face to face, before he could decide.

Until then, however, Stiles did a great job at not speaking face to face…as demonstrated when Derek returned to his apartment after finishing his classes for the day.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _So I’ve compiled a list of people you could possibly be_

**AlphaHD:** _You did what?!_

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I went through all the people in Mayer’s class, I made a list, and I think you’re one of them_

**AlphaHD:** _Okay…but why?_

 

**Batman-Stile:** _If I find out who you are you won’t have an excuse to not meet up:)_

 

**AlphaHD:** _Uhm isn’t that a little intrusive?_

**Batman-Stile:** _It’s not like you can stop me_

**AlphaHD:** _Not exactly a good point…_

**Batman-Stile:** _Never said it was. Anyways, I think you’re one of these people: the tall girl in the front row with the super long finger nails, the guy near the window with the obviously fake hair color, or the guy in the back row who wears nothing but shades of grey and black_

 

Derek looked down at his black shirt and frowned. He didn’t _just_ wear shades of black…did he? Was that even a bad thing? Black and grey goes with pretty much everything! But what if Stiles didn’t think so? What if he hates black? Derek got so lost in his panic-y thoughts that he almost forgot to answer.

 

**AlphaHD:** _How did you even come up with that list?_

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Well I’ve talked to most other students in that class, but from what you’re saying, I guess I haven’t spoken to you yet. Then I’ve disregarded all the people who’re either too old or too stupid to use a smart phone and bam. There’s the list_

 

Investigative talent? Check. Derek didn’t really understand why he felt so charmed by the fact that Stiles could apply somewhat basic information…one should expect as much from college students.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _So? Just tell me that I’m right;)_

 

Derek bit down on his lower lip. He didn’t want to lie to Stiles – in fact, he wanted him to find out who he was. But maybe not quite yet? Yes, Derek would definitely need more time to mentally prepare for human interaction.

 

**AlphaHD:** _How about this, if you tell me how you came up with your story idea, I’ll tell you something about me_

 

Derek could pretty much feel Laura screaming at him for being a fail-wolf and how he should just get with Stiles already. Luckily, she wasn’t actually at home yet, so she couldn’t exactly stop Derek.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _I already told you you wouldn’t believe me_

**AlphaHD:** _Try me_

Surprisingly enough, it didn’t take long for Stiles to give in. Derek was pretty sure the kid was actually dying to tell the story.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Fine…so I was out for a walk the other night and I ended up in the woods somehow, and then I found this huge pile of fur. I thought it was a dog at first, but in hindsight, I’m pretty sure it was a wolf. So I already saw my life flash before my eyes, but the thing didn’t actually kill me because I used my awesome wolf-whisperer powers to befriend it and now we’re like buddies. Actually, I think I might hang out with him again later (I don’t really know if it’s a he, I just assumed…)_

Derek frowned. He didn’t know what he expected – after all, that was what happened pretty much.

But wait a second…Stiles was going to hang out with the wolf – err, Derek – again? Tonight?

‘This is a horrible idea. Don’t do it. Don’t!’ Derek wasn’t quite sure if this was Laura or his own brain yelling at him, but it wouldn’t have mattered anyways, because his wolf was all for it – and so was the better half of his brain too, if he was honest with himself. Not because it was the right thing to do, it definitely wasn’t – but Derek just wanted to spend more time with Stiles, even if that meant wolfing out for a while.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Okay so I told you you wouldn’t believe me, but I swear that’s what happened. So I demand some personal information about you!_

**AlphaHD:** _Fine. I’m male_

**Batman-Stile:** _Wow, really? Of everything that you could’ve told me?_

**AlphaHD:** _I never said it would be something interesting!_

**Batman-Stile:** _Ugh fine…but I’m not too happy about it!_

**AlphaHD:** _Did you seriously just ‘ugh’ me?_

**Batman-Stile:** _You know what? I’m just gonna hang out with my wolf buddy. At least he doesn’t judge me_

 

Oh if only Stiles knew…Derek chuckled to himself for a moment, before actually realizing the importance of Stiles last message. The boy was expecting to see him in the forest in a bit. So he quickly typed out one last message before leaving his apartment and excitedly running towards the clearing Stiles first saw him at.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Try not to get eaten!_


	11. Boy, Wolf, and Forest

Stiles was frustrated – yet again. Although this time, it wasn’t because of his essay assignment (though he still hadn’t started on it). It wasn’t even the stranger he was writing with, who, for some reason, still withheld any sort of information about himself – except the fact that he was male. And Stiles had to pretty much bribe him to get that out.

No, what was actually currently frustrating Stiles was the dark, brooding boy – or rather man – that shared his Creative Writing class. Because it should not be allowed to look this good. There should be a law for that, seriously. Stiles didn’t even know his first name, Mayer keeps referring to him as Mr. Hale – and Stiles might or might not have lived through some elaborate fantasies based on that knowledge and the man’s looks alone.

But aside from that, Stiles pretty much knew nothing about him. Every time the class ended, Hale would just bolt out like it was actually, physically hurting him to stay in that room any longer than necessary. Stiles never had the chance to even talk to him – although he probably would be too afraid to do so either way, because the dude looked like he could break every bone in Stiles’ body with a flick of his fingers. Why that was kind of a turn-on for Stiles remains a mystery…

It’s not like Stiles hadn’t tried to acquire more information about Hale, but so far, he came up with nothing. No one else in the class seemed to ever talk to him, no one really knew anything about him and it had gotten to the point where Stiles just wanted to groan in frustration every time he saw the man.

 

When Stiles compiled the list of people the stranger he’s been writing with could possibly be, he put Hale on it just because he had the hopeful fantasy that the stranger would say something along the lines of ‘Yes, it’s me. The ridiculously attractive dude from the back row with the mysterious aura, and I’m, like, so in love with you Stiles, it isn’t even funny.’

Of course, that would imply that, first of all, this stranger knew that he was talking to Stiles, and secondly, that he talked like that. Which Stiles was pretty sure he didn’t. He took him to be more of a ‘communicate by glaring and staring’ kind of guy.

 

After his last conversation with the Alpha (which is how Stiles referred to the dude he’s been talking to in his head), Stiles’ frustration levels reached an all-time high. The fact that Alpha did not seem to warm up to Stiles in the least was almost infuriating – though Stiles tried to not show that on the off-chance that Alpha might change his mind and still do the essay with Stiles.

Now, it had come to a point where Stiles just couldn’t take his tiny dorm room and the way it seemed to suffocate him and his thoughts anymore. He needed to get out, let off some steam, relax a little. That’s when he decided he might as well go back to the forest and see how his furry friend was doing.

In the past couple of days, Stiles caught himself thinking about the wolf on numerous occasions. Was it still in the forest? Would it really recognize him if he found it again? And what the hell did it do to his jacket? Stiles didn’t quite understand why he was so fascinated by the creature, he usually wasn’t one for pets and wildlife – that was Scott’s specialty. But still, Stiles kinda wanted to at least look for the wolf one more time. And that was just what he did.

 

It wasn’t hard to find the clearing where he first met the wolf again. Stiles looked around, searching for the animal, but it didn’t seem to be around. He furrowed his eyebrows and started walking towards the other side of the clearing, hoping to find any trace of the wolf.

“Hello?” Stiles called out, hoping no other person was around – that might get weird.

“Where are you buddy?”

So now even the wolf dodged Stiles? He could almost feel the sting of frustration hit him again, when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Stiles saw something approaching him with an alarming speed. He didn’t even manage to turn his head before he was thrown to the ground and an inhumane squeak escaped his throat.

Sitting on top of Stiles was the wolf – panting and happily wagging its tail. It barked out once and kept Stiles’ torso pinned to the ground.

 

“There you are, I didn’t even see you coming,” Stiles cooed and chuckled as he carded his fingers through the animal’s fur. The wolf barked again, as if it wanted to agree and quickly stepped away so Stiles could sit up.

“Did you miss me?” Stiles said with a grin as he went on to pet the wolf’s head. The animal immediately leaned into Stiles’ hand, obviously enjoying the contact. It didn’t take long before it stepped closer to Stiles again, to the point where it was almost sitting on his lap. Stiles didn’t mind. He didn’t even think about the fact that this was a wild predator that could turn on him any second. He just concentrated on the fact that there was actually a living, breathing being in front of him that enjoyed being touched by him. That was something rather unusual. Normally, the only people who didn’t shy away from hugs and stuff like that were Scott and Stiles’ own father.

  
“You’re just one big pile of cuddles, aren’t you?” Stiles remarked with a smirk as he realized how close the wolf had gotten, and how much it seemed to enjoy itself. It had closed its eyes and almost looked like it was smiling.

“I bet you’re a really good listener too. I could ramble on and on for hours and you wouldn’t interrupt me once,” Stiles continued with a crooked grin.

He might actually just do that…


	12. Pet-Talker Syndrome

This was – by far – the worst idea Derek has ever had. He could’ve just ignored Stiles message. He could’ve just sat it out in his apartment, let Stiles come to the forest and not find a damn wolf there, and he’d probably have moved on with his life. But no. Derek just _had_ to come here, he just _had_ to spend time with Stiles again, he just _had_ to give in to his damn wolf, telling him what a great idea this was. Guess what; this was, in fact, _not_ a great idea.

 

When Stiles just petted Derek, and cooed at how docile he was, everything was just fine. Derek was enjoying himself, Stiles seemed to as well. They were both relaxed and at peace. But then, Stiles began to talk. _So_ _much_. Had Derek known how long Stiles could ramble on about how stressful college was, how hard it was to keep his father’s diet in check from afar, how much he missed his best friend (of whom Derek was only mildly jealous…) – had Derek known, he would’ve definitely brought food and a pillow or just something to get comfortable for a long period of time, because this might’ve been fun for thirty minutes or so, but now, even taciturn, socially awkward Derek was just aching to respond to Stiles, to not let him recite this monologue any longer. Derek wasn’t even annoyed – he might’ve been at first – but now he realized how sad this entire situation really was. Instead of talking to someone who he could have a proper conversation with, Stiles chose to talk to a wolf. A freakin’ wolf! An animal, something that can’t respond aside from some huffs, whines, and growls. And Derek wouldn’t have been surprised; many people talk to their pets for hours upon end. He could see that happening, something like that was normal. But Stiles…after a while, he started to give of the prominent and distinct scent of sadness.

At first, Derek didn’t know what was happening, Stiles hadn’t been talking about anything emotionally straining. Derek couldn’t quite comprehend what made Stiles so sad for a while, until something interesting crossed his mind – or rather, his nose. Since the first time Derek had laid eyes on Stiles, since the first time he’s smelled him, the boy always had his personal scent. _Just_ his personal scent – something sweet and endearing…but nothing else. No one else’s.

Normally, when people spend time together and are near each other, their scents get mixed and remain on the other person for a while. But Stiles had no trace of any other person’s scent, just his own.

He was lonely. He was alone.

 

It took Derek a while to realize, but now that he knew, his heart ached for the boy, and some other things fell into place as well. No wonder Stiles was so eager to meet up with a virtual stranger he met online. He must crave any sort of real human interaction. Of what Derek knew of Stiles (which wasn’t that much aside from everything he could find out through his social media and the bits and pieces of conversations he’d overheard), he always thought Stiles was a very social person. The boy even admitted that he had talked to pretty much every single person in his Creative Writing class, a task Derek could never accomplish. And still, he was alone.

 

Derek’s heart went out to the lonely boy beside him. His realization urged him to keep Stiles company for as long as he could, even just as a wolf. It also pushed the idea of actually growing some balls and just striking up a conversation with Stiles more and more into the realm of actual possibilities. Although it might still take Derek some time to get over himself, right now, he was sure that his instinct to be near Stiles – which he still couldn’t quite understand – and Laura’s constant nagging would eventually lead him to give in.

 

“…so I just ordered in and rewatched the original Star Wars trilogy,” Stiles finished another train of thought with a little smile, as if he needed to hide his true feelings, even from an animal. Derek huffed, as if to make clear that he understood everything Stiles told him just there. He felt like a few vocalizations would ease Stiles’ mind and make him feel less like a pathetic fool who pretty much talks to no one.

“You know what would really make this whole college experience a whole lot better?” Derek lifted his head, which he had laid down on Stiles lap, to look at the boy’s face. His usual bright, warm smile had faltered just a little, and a hint of the sadness that filled him started to show on the surface as well. Stiles stared at Derek and sighed, pausing shortly before continuing.

“If this damn Hale guy would just notice me…”

 

Derek blinked. If he was human right now, he’d ask Stiles to repeat himself.

 

“You should see him, he is pretty much 180 pounds of beauty on legs. I bet he leaves class so fast because his equally hot girlfriend is waiting for him…” Stiles huffed in frustration. All the emotions seeping off of him paired with the best news Derek’s gotten in his life was just overwhelming. Derek couldn’t think straight, he was barely able to keep up with what Stiles was saying, trying to note every bit of information he could gather while not completely freaking out.

“Sometimes I just wish I was beautiful, you know?” There was pure vulnerability and Stiles’ words. How could he not see in himself what Derek saw? The wolf wanted to curl up around the boy, comfort him, and never let him go again.

A single tear rolled down Stiles’ cheek while he still tried to maintain the façade of happiness with a smile. Derek’s heart ached. He couldn’t prevent the whine that escaped him, and he wanted nothing more than to make Stiles feel what he felt. He stood up and bumped his nose against the crook of Stiles’ neck before licking away the salty tear on his face.

Deep down, Derek knew this was wrong, and this was not the way to go about things, but in this very moment, he just needed Stiles to feel better. Judging by the chuckle of the boy, it seemed as if Derek succeeded for now – but it just wasn’t enough. He needed to do more.


	13. Rookie Mistake

Stiles didn’t say much after his last revelation. Derek didn’t know whether he should be thankful for that.

It was beginning to get dark again when Stiles finally got up. He looked around the clearing before his eyes settled on Derek again as he raised an eyebrow at the wolf.

“What happened to my jacket? I hope you didn’t tear it apart, because I can’t leave you this one too,” Stiles chided, although a playful smirk crossed his lips. Derek internally scolded himself – how could he have forgotten? He should’ve brought the jacket with him…Derek whined guiltily, although he was pretty sure Stiles wouldn’t able to really place the sound.

“Don’t worry, I’ll be back soon,” Stiles promised as he ruffled Derek’s fur once more and turned back towards campus. This time, Derek didn’t attempt to follow, but he still kept his eyes locked on Stiles, who turned around once and waved at him. As soon as the boy was out of sight, Derek trotted back to his apartment. He was in no hurry, he had a lot to think about.

There was something, a sort of primal urge that had taken root in his heart – the need to make Stiles feel better. After what he revealed to Derek, the wolf felt a whole new level of confidence. Stiles wanted Derek to notice him. He _wants_ to get to know Derek, and after all that Derek had heard today, Stiles was longing for someone to fill the hole in his heart. Derek and his wolf, more eager than either of them had ever been, wanted to do that for Stiles – wanted to be the one to make him realize how special he truly was.

 

Derek had a plan. Now that he had time to think about it, and to mentally prepare himself, he knew what he wanted – what he had to do. That night, before going to bed, Derek grabbed his phone to type out and send a message before he could change his mind.

 

**AlphaHD:** _So I thought about this (a lot), and if you still want to, I’d like to do this whole essay thing together_

There. It was out there, no turning back now. Derek wasn’t quite sure if he should fist bump the air or have a panic attack…Whatever it was, there was no going back anymore. He really had thought about this, and this was what he wanted to do; spend time with Stiles, get to know him, hopefully dating him at some point – but that was probably far in the future. For now, this was step one.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Really?? Awesome! So should we, like, exchange numbers or something?_

**AlphaHD:** _No need to. I’ll just come and talk to you on Monday Stiles;)_

**Batman-Stile:** _Uhm…how do you know my name exactly??_

**AlphaHD:** _Well first of all, you just told me that I’m right. Secondly, you’re not the only one with investigative talent…your username pretty much gave you away_

**Batman-Stile:** _I guess…so what’s your name then? Doesn’t seem fair that you know who I am, but I don’t know who you are_

**AlphaHD:** _Don’t worry about it, you’ll see on Monday;)_

**Batman-Stile:** _That is so not cool! I won’t be able to sleep until then! Come on, you’ve gotta give me a hint at least_

**AlphaHD:** _Sucks to be you:p You already got your hint, so you’ll just have to wait_

**Batman-Stile:** _I don’t even know who you are yet, but you’re already frustrating_

**AlphaHD:** _Good night Stiles. See you on Monday_

**Batman-Stile:** _Oh don’t you dare ignore me like this!_

**Batman-Stile:** _Hello?_

**Batman-Stile:** _Hellooo??_

**Batman-Stile:** _Dude not cool_

**Batman-Stile:** _Ugh_

**Batman-Stile:** _Fine. See you on Monday then…_

Derek smiled to himself – being a tease was kinda fun, especially because Stiles seemed so bothered by it. Just a few more days…

 

…which turned out to be maybe the most stressful days in Derek’s life. Stiles was basically begging to know Derek’s identity. Every day, Derek came home to at least ten new messages, and it took pretty much all of his will power to not tell Stiles before Monday.

Going to sleep on Sunday, Derek finally felt some form of relief – tomorrow was the day. Tomorrow, he would finally grow some balls. Tomorrow, he would finally talk to Stiles – for real. The whole excitement kept Derek up for quite a while, his heartbeat unsteady and nervous. When he did finally fall asleep, it was with a smile on his face and Stiles’ jacket in his arms.

 

And because things just could never go Derek’s way, he promptly slept in. _Great._ The worst part? He didn’t even wake up on his own. Instead, it took Laura stumbling into his room and laughing at how curled up Derek was around the jacket to finally bring him back.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class in, like, thirty minutes?” Laura teased, a smug grin painted on her face. Derek’s eyes shot open – his first class was Creative Writing. Which means…

“Shit,” he muttered to himself as he quickly disentangled himself from his bed. Seems like he wouldn’t get to shower this morning. Derek stumbled around his room, grabbing some clean clothes and brushing his hair out at least a little. As he looked at his watch, Derek cursed again, getting dressed as quickly as he could, before heading out without even having breakfast. Laura yelled something at him as he left the apartment, but Derek was in no right mind to pick up what she said.

 

Derek did, indeed, make it to class in time (Thank you werewolf speed…). He was severely out of breath and slightly sweaty, but he actually managed to make it five minutes before the class would even start.

Derek searched the room, and soon found Stiles, sitting in the back row, looking nervous and excited. Derek couldn’t help but grin at the thought that Stiles felt this way because of him…It was this thought that gave him enough courage to stroll over to the boy, trying to look as confident, yet casual as possible. Stiles didn’t notice Derek coming his way until he was standing right in front of him. When he did, however, Stiles wide eyes and shocked expression was met with Derek’s grin.

“Hello Batman-Stile,” Derek managed to say without his voice cracking from nervousness while still retaining his grin. Stiles opened his mouth to answer, his heartbeat quickening in excitement and his eyes widening almost comically, before he closed his mouth again and looked Derek over once.

Suddenly, there was something else besides Stiles’ excitement…Confusion? Derek’s grin faltered and his eyebrows furrowed – just like Stiles’.

 

“Why are you wearing my jacket?”


	14. Just Ignore it long enough

Derek looked down at himself and…yup. That was definitely Stiles’ jacket. Which leads back to the question, why _was_ he wearing it?!

‘Crap,’ Derek thought to himself as a sudden realization hit him. He must’ve put it on this morning while he was in a rush. Now that he was paying attention – it did seem kind of tight…But how could he have not noticed the distinct smell? Was he actually that distracted because he was late? ‘Damn it, damn it, damn it,’ Derek repeated like a mantra in his head. Stiles was still looking at him expectantly, but he could think of no good answer.

“Uhh…” Derek oh so adequately remarked. He could feel the heated blush on his face, his own quickening heartbeat, and his damn inability to make it out of this mess. Oh god, hopefully none of the other students noticed this…

“Mr. Hale, would you please take a seat? We’re about to start.” Saved by the bell – or rather Mayer, who finally decided to make an entrance. Derek quickly made his way over to his usual seat, ignoring Stiles who called after him. This was _so_ not how this was supposed to go…this was not the kind of first impression Derek wanted to make. He cursed himself and his stupidity, but ultimately, he knew, there was no reason to ponder on his inability to even put on the right clothes before leaving the house. No, he had to think of a good explanation for this scenario.

Derek had pretty much just revealed his online identity, so even if he could make it out of class before Stiles, there was no way he could escape further questioning. At least he’d have the entire duration of the class to think of something though.

 

Between ‘I fought a wolf for it’ and ‘I just found it in the woods,’ the only real alternative Derek could think of was probably also the most likely one to be convincing. So, when class ended and Stiles rushed over to Derek, looking him over with suspicion in his eyes and his mouth pressed into a thin line, Derek put on his best neutral face – meaning a scowl – and just went for it.

“This isn’t your jacket.” Yes…that was Derek’s master plan.

“Dude, this is at least two sizes too small for you, and it has the coffee stain I got during my first week here on it,” Stiles easily retorted. And just like that, Derek’s oh so great plan went south. Not that this was an unexpected turn of events, but still, it was kind of disappointing.

“So, are you going to explain to me how you really got this?” Stiles questioned. Derek was barely able to place Stiles emotions – there was confusion, irritation, but also amusement, the last one probably due to Derek’s attempt at covering this whole incident.

“To put it in your own words; you wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Derek tried, rather weakly, but he seemed to at least entertain Stiles, who smirked at him mischievously.

“And to put it in your own words; try me.” Damn…Stiles was good at this.

“How about this: we get started on our assignment first, and afterwards I can try to explain and humiliate myself,” Derek offered, simply hoping to buy some more time to come up with another story. Unfortunately for him, he only seemed to promote Stiles’ amusement. So much for humiliation later…

“Suuure,” Stiles drawled, and Derek was pretty sure his loosening tension was visible as his shoulders sacked and his face relaxed from its constant scowl. At that, Stiles cleared his throat awkwardly and grinned at Derek.

“Dude, I don’t even know your first name…I’m pretty sure you don’t want me to call you Alpha, because that would be kind of weird. Unless your name is actually Alpha of course! But I’m pretty sure that’s not a real name…then again, in times where you can name your child after a cardinal direction, I’m pretty sure Alpha isn’t so far off a real possibility either. Oh god, I’m rambling right? Sorry. That happens sometimes…I’m just going to stop now, but if you’d just tell me your name that would be great…”

Derek let out a huff of hot air. How Stiles could go from cool and in control to rambling, stuttering, and overall just tripping over his words in mere seconds was beyond him. He was however relieved to find out that Stiles seemed to be at least a little nervous as well – that way, Derek didn’t have to feel so horrible for how nervous he was himself.

“Derek. It’s uh…my name’s Derek.” Stiles’ smile seemed to brighten up even more at Derek’s name.

‘Baby steps,’ Derek thought to himself as he did his best to return Stiles’ gesture at least slightly.

“So, let’s grab a coffee and get this started,” Stiles demanded – it wasn’t really a question or request…Derek thought the boy probably wouldn’t need caffeine in his system, but who was he to judge? Instead, he just obliged and followed Stiles as he led the way to his favorite coffee shop. Whoever thought of the name ‘Cool Beans’ should really be ashamed of themselves…

 

One rather silent ten minute walk, and two coffee orders, one of which has just way too much sugar in it (guess who’s that is…). Later, Stiles and Derek were finally seated at a table and, at least Derek was absolutely ready to get some work done. Probably because he still wanted to forget about the whole jacket incident, but who could really blame him?

Unfortunately, that involved talking – not Derek’s strong suit. Thus, non-surprisingly, he spent an awkwardly long moment just staring between his cup and Stiles, who had grabbed his writing pad and was twirling his pen around.

“So…werewolves, huh?” Derek finally tried, sounding unsure of himself. Stiles simply grinned, nodded, and hummed in approval.

 

Great start…


	15. It works, I guess

This wasn’t exactly a conventional first date – it wasn’t even technically a date to begin with, but Stiles liked to think of it as such. Derek was more of a quite type, Stiles could tell, but he didn’t mind at all. With a coffee in his system he could talk for hours without stopping, so he thought this was a match made in heaven. Or maybe he was just searching for things that made them compatible, because honestly, Stiles _liked_ Derek. The huffs and puffs, the one-word answers, the scowling at almost every idea Stiles came up with, his occasional dry-humorous remarks – it was all endearing.

Truthfully, Stiles wanted to get some work for his essay done, and he also wanted to find out where the hell Derek got his jacket from. The last time Stiles saw the thing, was in between the fangs of his wolf-buddy, and it seemed pretty unlikely that Derek fought the animal for it…Then again, that wouldn’t be the weirdest thing the world has ever seen.

The writing part seemed to be going great though. Stiles just shot out his ideas while Derek simply tried to refine them. They were working really well off of each other. In no time at all they were done with the concept for the whole plot. And with their workload finished, Stiles was thrilled to get back to more interesting topics.

 

“So…it’s a pretty nice jacket, huh?” At the mention of the damn thing, Derek’s face shifted to something miserable and pathetic. Maybe he just remembered that he still hadn’t given it back to Stiles?   
“Listen, I’m sorry about this. Can you just take it and we’ll forget this ever happened?” Yeah, as if Stiles would let this go.

“I mean, you can keep it if you want to. I never figured on getting it back anyway, but I still wanna know how you even got it,” Stiles shot back easily, leaning back on his chair and taking a long sip from his ‘coffee’. 

“And what if I’m just not gonna tell you?” Derek sighed, his permanent scowl edged back onto his face. Stiles almost choked – he hadn’t even thought about that possibility! Now that Derek mentioned it though…

“Hey, not fair! Come on man, you gotta admit that this is pretty weird,” Stiles replied, sounding almost offended by the prospect of never getting to know how Derek got a hold of his jacket.

“It is,” Derek gave in.

“And you gotta see why I’d be interested in finding out how you got it.”

“I do.”

“So you’re going to tell me then?” Stiles finally asked, a hopeful glimmer in his wide, amber eyes. Then there was a moment of silence…and another one…and another one…Probably the most pregnant pregnant pause in the history of pregnant pauses – must’ve been triplets or something like that.

“No,” Derek finally drawled, basically wiping the smile of Stiles’ face. Who would’ve guessed? The gorgeous, pondering, tall, dark man is an asshole and still unattainable to lil’ old Stiles. The boy could feel the crushing weight of rejection pressing the air out of his lungs. He just wanted to get away from here as fast as possible, maybe curl up in his room and crying a little…

“Alright. Was nice meeting you man, I’ll be leaving,” Stiles muttered, sounding defeated and just tired. This wasn’t the first time he’d been rejected, thank you very much Lydia Martin, but it still hurt – badly. Stiles gathered his belongings, not even acknowledging Derek’s presence any further, before getting up and trying to make his way out of the café. He was however stopped by something – or someone – gripping onto his wrist.

“Wait!” Derek exclaimed. As Stiles turned around again, waiting for some sort of cliché line, Derek let go of his arm immediately, seemingly just realizing what he did.

“I uh…was hoping we could meet up again? Maybe not just for the essay but…uhm, you know, to hang out or something?”

Stiles blinked a few times and shook his head, hoping to return to reality, ‘cause that sounded a lot like Derek asking him out, kind of? Well, maybe it was just in a friends type of manner, but still.

 

“Okay, I’m getting mixed signals here. Do you mean hang out as in a date? Or just in general?” It’s not like Stiles could be embarrassed any further, so why not just put it all out there? He already felt rejected, so he didn’t really have much to lose.

“Yes- uhm, yeah. I mean as in a date, I guess. That is, if you would be interested? I, uh, you don’t have to, obviously,” Derek tried, sounding majorly insecure – not really a match to his stunningly beautiful looks or his usually brooding and calm personality, but Stiles somehow found it endearing.

“I mean, I’m not opposed to that at all, but…” Stiles replied. He wanted to smack himself for his choice of words, but he guessed the weird circumstances justified that.

“If this is about the whole jacket thing, it’s…I could tell you, but I’d rather wait, because there’s a whole story behind it and…it’s really more complicated than it seems, you know? So I thought we could maybe get to know each other a little better first.” Wow – that must’ve been the longest string of somewhat sensible words Derek’s ever put into order. Even his wolf seemed impressed, and that thing can pretty much only articulate single words.

Stiles looked at Derek for a long moment, assessing the older man, while pursing his lips and obviously searching for something in Derek’s eyes. It took another agonizingly long moment before he finally answered.

“Okay, fine. Let’s try this.”


	16. Fantasy Wonderland

Derek officially felt screwed, insane, defeated, hopeful, and happy at the same time. Yes, that was a thing – and he had every right to feel the way he did because _holy crap_ , Stiles had (although reluctantly) agreed to a date. With him. With Derek. That didn’t solve the problem with the jacket, but it sure was a start.

When he returned home, Derek was pretty much floating, at least until Laura rudely ripped him out of his Stiles-induced daydream.

“What’s got you so happy?” Laura asked, standing in the kitchen with a raised eyebrow and a knowing smirk. She looked so smug, Derek internally debated whether it would be a possibility to just leave again and postpone this conversation. Then again, the sooner he got this over with, the better.

“I have a date,” he simply stated, hoping that would be enough for Laura, but who was he kidding?

“Wowowow, really?! Derek! Oh my god finally! So you’ve told him then?” Derek flinched. He knew exactly what Laura was talking about but he’d rather not think about it…Unfortunately, his sister seemed to have other plans.

“Wait – you didn’t, did you? Derek Hale, why are you so stupid? He’s gonna find out eventually!” Laura yelled – not that it was necessary, werewolf-hearing and all, but that just made it seem that much louder. Derek flinched at the sound of her voice, knowing full and well that she was right – but there were some circumstances involved, okay? At least that’s what Derek told himself over and over again.

“I know,” Derek finally whined, sounding like a scolded child.

“And you also realize that it’s going to be easier for both of you the sooner you tell him, right?” This time Derek didn’t answer, he didn’t even look at his sister. Instead he scowled at the floor and nodded. Then there was a long pause, only filled with a sigh from Laura.

 

“Then why didn’t you tell him right away?” Laura sounded calmer, almost motherly and concerned for her little brother. It somehow unlocked Derek, making him feel open and vulnerable, but able to be honest. His sister had a talent for that…

“What if…what if he isn’t okay with who I am?”

Laura sighed. She knew her brother had issues, and she knew he was scared. Most of the time, she just tried to ignore it and treat him normally, but at times like this, when he threatens to sabotage himself and his happiness, she oftentimes just doesn’t really know how to react.

“Listen Derek. I know you’re scared, and that’s alright, but you just have to give him and, more importantly, yourself a chance.  I don’t know what exactly brought you two together, call it fate, call it instinct, call it whatever, but I know, and I think you know as well, that this could be something very special for you. And I just don’t want you to ruin this for yourself. So go out with him, be honest with him, and if he treats you badly because of who you are, I’m gonna smack all of his teeth out, okay?”

Derek snorted at his sister’s antics. She had a talent for making him feel better – most of the time. Yeah sure, she could be a real pain in the ass, but when it counted, Laura was always there for him. Derek pulled her in for a hug – which he rarely does – and rubbed his cheek against her temple affectionately.

“Thanks,” Derek muttered before letting Laura go again. She was wearing a bright smile and squeezed his arms reassuringly, before retreating to her own room. Derek stood in the kitchen for a while, processing his sister’s words. Deep down, he knew that she was right – but maybe he just needed to hear what she said out loud to actually kind of believe it.

 

Derek also returned to his room eventually, only then realizing that he still had Stiles’ jacket on – which he was thankfully allowed to keep. Derek wasn’t sure if he could sleep without it anymore, which was kind of pathetic, he had to admit.

Damn thing – cause him a lot of trouble, but it still was kinda worth it. Derek loved having Stiles smell around him constantly; the sweetness of caramel, something spicy in between, a little floral note – it all just seemed to make sense and was perfect. The jacket smelt, just like Stiles, like safety, home, and belonging – and that’s a pretty strong statement for an article of clothing.

Maybe someday, when Derek had revealed the whole wolf-debacle, he could try and explain to Stiles why his smell was so important. Maybe someday, Derek could be surrounded by the real thing, by Stiles. Maybe someday, he could give the jacket back because he wouldn’t need it anymore, and instead Derek could just snuggle up to Stiles.

 

This wasn’t the first time Derek’s thoughts turned so…domestic. He wondered what was up with that, it was kind of strange yet oddly normal. And that’s saying, considering Stiles and Derek had pretty much only spend a few hours together – and not in a romantic kind of way, but just as study partners and maybe, possibly good acquaintances - Derek wouldn’t go as far as calling them friends yet, and if he was lucky he could skip that step – which doesn’t mean he didn’t want to be Stiles’ friend, but he wanted to be so much more, and god damn it, there he was again, fantasizing about a _future_ with Stiles! Possibly involving a house with a garden near the West Coast.

Alright Hale, that’s enough for now…Baby steps, remember? Derek had done well up until now, considering the circumstances, and he would just continue this way. One step at a time, his next mission being: Reveal your true identity to Stiles (the ‘so you can live happily ever after’ might have been added in Derek’s mind, but who knows).


	17. Absolutely Basic

Stiles was not sure how he was supposed to feel at the moment.

First of all; he scored a date with Derek, which was kind of incredible and an absolute dream come true. But then there was this whole mysterious vibe – Stiles knew of course that Derek was hiding _something_ , and this something had somehow to do with his jacket – which was kinda confusing. The fact that Derek didn’t want to tell Stiles what exactly was going on, and instead said it was complicated (cliché much?) was not putting Stiles’ mind at ease either. In fact, his mind had been running wild with numerous ideas which could explain Derek’s secretiveness – the most likely scenario at the moment; Derek is actually a member of the mafia. Something along those lines…

Stiles had actually debated whether he should cancel the date, but then again, he was kind of intrigued. Whatever Derek’s explanation might be, Stiles wanted to hear it. And then there still was the fact that Derek seemed to be a pretty (and) decent guy – so why not try, at least?

 

The weekend came, sooner than Stiles anticipated, and before he knew it, it was time to get ready to be picked up by Derek. Tousled hair? Check. Plaid ensemble? Check. Breath doesn’t smell (just in case…)? Check. So Stiles had done everything on his end to minimalize the chances of this going badly. With a last glance to the mirror, he gave himself an encouraging thumbs-up with a forced grin. So maybe he was nervous…but who could blame him? It’s not every day that you go out with Adonis himself.

 

Meanwhile, Derek was standing next to his Camaro, gaze fixed on Stiles’ dorm building. His rapid, nervous heartbeat was starting to get to him, and the fact that his wolf was also impatiently pacing around wasn’t helping either. He could _not_ screw this up – no pressure – so he did everything in his power to keep the chances of something bad happening close to zero. Derek had made reservations at a diner, nothing too special but nice enough. He had refrained (reluctantly) from wearing Stiles’ jacket, hoping to avoid the conversation turning towards the dreaded thing again – of course, the implied there would be something to talk about. To guarantee that, Derek had put himself through several torturous hours of super hero movies and comics, so he could at least keep up if Stiles decided to talk about that. You get the picture – there was a whole lot of preparations involved leading up to this.

Derek’s nervousness reached a new peak when Stiles didn’t show up on time. Maybe he had changed his mind? Maybe he had been joking when he said he’d go out with Derek? Or maybe something happened to him and he was lying somewhere, injured or dying! Admittedly, Derek might’ve been overreacting just a little bit, seeing as he was also beginning to pace back and forth, rubbing his hands nervously. This wasn’t like him at all, but he really couldn’t control himself at the moment.

All of Derek’s doubts and fears were however blown away as soon as he caught sight of Stiles, running towards him. When Stiles’ distinct smell hit Derek, his mind was immediately put to rest and he felt comfort and warmth spread through him. His wolf also seemed to settle down, stopping in its tracks and wagging its tail happily – metaphorically speaking, of course.

“Hey! Sorry I’m late, I didn’t really realize how late it had gotten. I hope that’s not a problem, I really didn’t mean to keep you waiting out here. Oh god, you probably think I’m completely disorganized or that I wasn’t looking forward to this, right? Which is not the case, really! I just-“

“Stiles,” Derek finally interrupted, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. He couldn’t help but feel fondness at the boy’s antics. At least he seemed to be a little nervous as well.

“Sorry, rambling again, I know,” Stiles admitted, blushing slightly and avoiding Derek’s gaze. The older man felt the need to comfort Stiles, because in all honesty, Derek didn’t mind listening to Stiles if he had the chance to pitch in once in a while, so he really shouldn’t feel bad about rambling.

“It’s okay, I like it,” Derek remarked, holding the passenger side’s door open and guiding Stiles in while laying a reassuring hand on the boy’s lower back. Derek’s touch seemed to ground Stiles somehow, as his heartbeat slowed noticeably.

 

The ride to the diner was mostly spent in comfortable silence – at least on Derek’s part. Stiles on the other hand was talking about his past week, the latest movies he’s seen, and (oddly enough) how he once submitted an essay about male circumcision for an Economics class in high school. Derek commented once in a while, making sure Stiles knew he was paying attention and actually enjoying listening to him. Before they knew it, they had made it to the restaurant and – after the waitress gave them a knowing look and grinned devilishly – were seated in the back where not many other people would be around. Derek didn’t know if he should’ve been offended or grateful.

“Oh my god, they have curly fries! That’s pretty much instantly the best date ever,” Stiles cheered, looking through the menu. Derek didn’t quite share Stiles’ excitement over some, seemingly random, side order, but he just ignored it and hummed in approval.

 

“Tell me a little about yourself.” Oh god, this is where it would all go downhill, right? Derek knew talking, especially about himself, wasn’t his strong suit, but he could get through this…probably.

“Okay, uh…I’m living with my older sister Laura currently, I grew up in New York, and uh…my favorite color is green?” Yeah, great job, make it sound like a question…Derek would’ve sworn Stiles’ grin was supposed to be mocking, but it turned out more playful.

“I would’ve guessed your favorite color was black.”


	18. This'll get more descriptive, don't worry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I usually don't like to abuse the note function too much, but I feel like this time I might need to...  
> First of all, that chapter title is not a placeholder, it's more of a promise - thank you very much and you're welcome!  
> Secondly, I'm sorry it took me so long to update this story, but that's how things'll be for while now - I'm drowning in term papers, finals, and then I'm working 4 nights a week on top of that. In short; I don't really have much time to write, so forgive me for the inevitably slow updates in the next few weeks.

Stiles – bless his hyperactive soul – turned out to be the most forgiving, understanding, and charming person in the history of humanity…at least that’s what Derek thought.

Stiles was not distracted in any way by Derek’s weak attempts at talking. On the contrary, Stiles soon picked up on the fact that it was just way easier for Derek to listen – in other words; pretty much a match made in heaven. Stiles could ramble on and on without interruption or hesitation, while Derek could enjoy Stiles’ voice drowning out the otherwise slightly overwhelming impressions Derek’s heightened senses would present.

Half an hour, and a staggering amount of curly fries later, Derek was pretty sure he’d learned everything there was about to know about Stiles, his friends back in his hometown, and everything Star Wars related. The fact that the boy was still going strong, not pausing once, was almost as surprising as the sheer mass of food he could consume.

 

Half an hour (and ‘Oh, who would’ve thought, there’s more Star Wars trivia to know’) later, both Derek and Stiles finished their meals and were heading outside.

“Do you uhm…want to go for a walk maybe?” Derek asked as they left the diner, not quite ready to call it a night. Or maybe he was just trying to memorize as much of Stiles looks and scent as possible, now that he finally got some time alone with him. He was also still trying to figure out those strange home-y feelings connected to said scent – maybe he’d have to ask Laura about that? Then again, that could get pretty awkward…Oh well, that’s probably something Derek should think of later. For now, he should enjoy his time with Stiles.

“Yeah that sounds great actually…I probably need to get some energy out of my system,” Stiles agreed with a chuckle. Oh yeah, it was hard to imagine how he could ever be still long enough to go to sleep or something with all this pent up energy. Whatever the reason for it may be, Derek was just glad he’d get to prolong this evening.

 

As it turns out, ‘going for a walk’ in Stiles-terms is pretty much jogging. Not that Derek minds, but it’s kind of not really romantic? He’d just love to touch Stiles, maybe hold his hand, but that’s pretty difficult (and would definitely look weird) at this pace.

There isn’t much talking involved while Derek and Stiles round the block and return to the Camaro. There’s still not much of a conversation involved when Derek drives Stiles back to his dorm. There is however some conversation involved when Stiles leaves the car – Derek follows, and Stiles waits patiently, both hands in his pockets.

“So I had a really great time tonight. Thanks again for dinner,” Stiles starts, but his voice soon trailed off. He was obviously nervous, Derek didn’t need werewolf-senses to see that.

“I had fun too,” Derek admitted sheepishly – because saying that out loud is usually just not his style(-s hehe).

“Really?!” Stiles eyes widened. His hands were still in his pockets but he had stopped fidgeting around for a second. “I thought I’d have scared you off for sure,” he continued, leaving his mouth hanging open. Derek could only furrow his eyebrows at that.

“No, why would you think that?” he questioned, his permanent scowl threatening to edge its way back onto his lips.

“Oh…uh, well. That’s what usually happens…” Stiles admitted, averting his gaze to the ground, and for a second Derek felt pretty self-conscious about his shoes.

“So I guess I’ll text you and we can do this again?” Derek questioned hopefully, though there was a slight anxious edge to his voice that he couldn’t quite suppress. The forming knot in his stomach (get your mind out of the gutter…) was however completely forgotten as soon as Stiles lifted his head again and smiled brilliantly back at Derek.

“Absolutely, that would be…yeah, that’s uhm…I’d love that,” he finished lamely, and even with his incipient blush, Stiles’ smile didn’t falter. Derek might’ve thought that was the most adorable thing he’s ever seen, but he wouldn’t be caught dead admitting to that of course…

“Great, so I’ll see you soon,” he commented, though neither he nor Stiles made a move to leave. This was a whole new level of cliché-teenage-romance, and damn it, Derek was too old for that shit. So what does a responsible, grown man do in this situation? You guessed it – Derek leaned forward, and to him, it was absolutely, one hundred percent clear what that movement suggested. But not to Stiles apparently.

 

When Derek pressed his lips to Stiles’, a few things seemed to have happened at once, though it was so quick, one could’ve easily missed some parts.

First, Stiles froze. For a moment, he did not react at all to what was going on. Shortly after, his eyes widened dramatically – Derek missed that one, because he had closed his to avoid awkward eye-contact. Another, agonizingly long, moment later, Stiles finally ( _finally!_ ) began to move his lips as well – and it was just _so_ unpracticed. In Derek’s mind, there was no question about it; this was definitely Stiles’ first proper kiss. Which should not have sent shivers down his spine, or made his wolf growl so possessively – he hoped he didn’t do that loudly.

It was unpracticed and sloppy, Stiles tried his best to mirror Derek’s movements, and after a while, he somewhat got the hang of it. He didn’t seem to quite know what to do with his tongue though, but Derek would let it slide for now – he hoped they’d have a chance to practice another time, because if he let this go on any longer, he would have difficulties holding back.  So, he decided to pull back, leaving a dopey looking, spaced-out Stiles behind to bath in the afterglow.

 

“I’ll see you soon,” Derek promised before he got into his car.

Stiles didn’t know it, but the entire ten minutes it took him to recover from that, Derek was watching from a distance, making sure Stiles made it into his dorm room safely.


	19. Forgot about that

Derek’s ride home was pretty much just a daze, a flurry of shapes and colors flying by as he drove off to his apartment. He felt like he was tingling all over, a thousand bugs crawling under his skin, millions of needles poking every inch of him – all of that. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this – probably because he hasn’t up until now. He couldn’t say he hated it though…at least not entirely.   
Derek had to admit, there was a quite disturbing feeling of possessiveness and belonging, of home and warmth, that was begging him, urging him to get back to Stiles, to be as close to him as possible. _That_ was definitely new. The strange mix of ecstasy and hollowness was somewhat maddening, but Derek would endure it. It’s not like he really had a lot of options, showing up at Stiles’ doorstep, begging to be let in might not be the best course of action after all.

 

Derek tried his best to shove all those feelings away (rather unsuccessfully) as he entered his apartment. He was exhausted but happy, and the only thing that might make him feel even better right now (aside from Stiles, of course) would be some sleep. Unfortunately, Laura seemed to have different plans…

 

“Oh brother, my brother! How are you? How’s the date been?” she mused, sauntering into the living room as soon as Derek entered. It was not like she couldn’t smell the happiness practically seeping out of every pore on Derek’s body, but he was sure, his sister would demand details.

“It was good, I’m seeing him again,” he answered shortly, not wanting to drag this conversation out any longer than it needed to. The pull of sleep seemed even more present than before.

“Come on, I need a little more than that Der. What did you do? Where did you take him? Was it everything you hoped for and more? Did you charm him with your scowls and glaring?” Laura was pretty much dancing around Derek, trying to embarrass him, but smiling all the while. Laura always had an affinity for teasing her brother – and with that, she was one of the few people who could, on a somewhat regular basis, pull a smile out of Derek.

“Yes Laura, I completely swept him off his feet and he agreed to marry me immediately. In fact, he’s moving in tomorrow, you need to get out,” Derek joked, raising a single one of his expressive eyebrows at his sister, who pouted playfully.

 

“So he didn’t care that you’re a werewolf?”   
And that stopped Derek cold in his tracks. Damn – he forgot about that…kinda. He forgot that he was supposed to tell Stiles. Oops…

“Uhm, it didn’t really come up?” Derek tried, sounding completely unsure of himself, and knowing damn well that his sister could detect his lie with ease. In fact, when she did, her carefree expression fell and changed to something more fitting of a disappointed mother.

“Really Derek?! We’ve talked about this, and I thought we agreed that you should tell him!”   
“Yeah, I know, I know. I just…forgot? Shit, I know you’re right, okay? I just really…I wanted to let him know me,” Derek tried to reason – to minor success. Though Laura’s expression softened somewhat, she also stepped closer and put her arm around him in a way that just screamed ‘condescending’.

“The wolf _is_ part of you. That’s why you need to tell the boy, because he can’t know you until he also knows your wolf.” Damn sisters and their logic…If only Derek had a way to argue back, but he really didn’t. All he could do is sigh and nod.

 

Derek made it to his room, feeling way less happy and carefree than when he arrived. He knew he couldn’t fall asleep like that, so instead, he tried to think of the easiest way to tell Stiles what he is.  
To be fair, there probably isn’t a really ‘easy’ way to tell someone that you’re a supernatural being, something that most people don’t even believe exists. Of course, Derek could prove it – but that really wasn’t the problem. He was just scared of how Stiles would react…well to be exact, Derek was just scared Stiles would turn his back, be disgusted, not want to be with Derek anymore. Just the thought of that happening had Derek’s wolf whine and curl up in a defensive manner – which was _so_ not making this any easier.

 

After almost an hour of brainstorming, Derek finally decided that the easiest way to tell Stiles would be to show him. He already knew Derek’s wolf – in a way. So maybe if Stiles found out that Derek and this wolf were one and the same he’d be open-minded about it? Well, that’s what Derek hoped, but there was no way to make sure.

 

“I hate this,” Derek sighed to himself, bracing for what’s to come, before picking up his phone and shooting out a text to Stiles that could change everything.

 

**AlphaHD:** _Hey Stiles, are you free tomorrow evening?_

 

Derek, surprisingly, didn’t have to wait long for an answer. Seems like Stiles had trouble falling asleep as well.

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Yeah, why?_

**AlphaHD:** _Wanna go for a walk maybe?_

 

**Batman-Stile:** _Sure, sounds good, just let me know when and where_

 

Yup, there it was. Now Derek had everything set up. He just hoped that this would go well, because he just wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Stiles – maybe he never would be. Hopefully he wouldn’t have to find out.

 

With a frustrated groan, Derek pulled his pillow over his head and eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.


	20. Almost There

The thing that excited Stiles currently was the fact that he’d been on a date with Derek Hale, and that he had arrangements for a second date-walk-thing. The thing that excited Stiles almost as much was that he could tell his best friend Scott everything about it. The two had set up a Skype call after Stiles announced that he had big news.

 

“Hey dude, how’re you doing?” Stiles greeted as soon as Scott’s face popped up on his laptop screen.

“Everything’s fine…same old, same old. What about you? What’s the big news?”  
“Ah, getting straight to it, huh? Not that I could blame you. So, drum roll please!” (Scott actually drummed his fingers on his desk) “I went on a date with the hottest guy on campus, and I’m going on a second date with him tonight!”

For a moment, Scott just gaped at his best friend – which was kinda rude. It was about time Stiles went on a proper date, and the fact that he did so with an undeniably hot piece of meat who actually tolerated his rambling was about the most exciting thing that would ever happen to him.

“I’m detecting a serious lack of enthusiasm dude,” Stiles noted with a pout, which finally seemed to shake Scott out of his thoughts and bring him right back to reality.

“What? Yeah, I mean sure, I’m happy for you, it’s just…not what I expected I guess? When you said ‘big news’ I thought you would star in a movie or something…But a date – hey, that’s awesome dude, really.” At least Scott tried to save it…somewhat. Stiles would’ve tried to be offended or a little hurt, but the constant puppy-expression Scott was wearing as a default was preventing that.   
Over the years, Stiles should have learned to ignore that look, mainly because Scott always looked adorable and could pretty much charm anyone, but that never happened. Instead, all Stiles could do was huff in annoyance exactly once before forgetting all about Scott’s slip-up.

 

“Anyways, how are things at home? My dad won’t tell me anything! I feel like he’s hiding something…” At that, Scott chuckled and shrugged, wearing a smug little grin.

“I think he and my mom are finally getting their shit together. The amount of times she’s over at your place to ‘check if the Sheriff’s eating right’ is kinda suspicious,” he explained. Stiles didn’t know if he should be excited for his dad, or pissed because he didn’t tell him sooner. Then again, the man always tried to hide his (more than apparent) crush on Scott’s mom. The fact that the two finally seemed to make it work was a good sign – Stiles’ dad deserved to be happy with someone again, and if that meant Scott and Stiles would become actual brothers – all the better.

 

The two talked for a little while, ranting about the latest movies they’ve seen and how college life has been treating them, before Stiles had to see himself out to get ready for his date (which Scott just commented on by cooing like an old lady).

Not even thirty minutes later, Stiles had showered, put on something that looked presentable – in other words, a plaid shirt that had no visible stains on it – and was now nervously shaking his leg, while sitting on his bed, waiting for Derek.

When the older man announced his presence through text, Stiles all but flew out of his dorm building, and down to the parking lot where Derek was standing next to his stupidly sexy car.

 

And then came the awkward part where neither of them knew how to greet the other one properly. They had kissed before, so were they going to kiss now as well? Or just hug? Maybe none of that? Stiles couldn’t really go off of experience, but Derek seemed almost as lost. So, in the end, it was Stiles who said to himself ‘Fuck it,’ and leaned in to chastely kiss Derek. Judging by his smile and slight blush, Stiles was pretty sure he did the right thing.

“Where are we heading?” Stiles questioned before Derek pushed himself off the car.

“I thought the woods might be nice, I uh…wanted to show you something,” he explained, looking nervous.

“Well _that_ doesn’t sound rapey at all,” Stiles remarked, though he made sure to smirk to let Derek know he wasn’t being serious. Derek, however, frowned at that, looking more than displeased.

“I would never do that to you,” he affirmed, and the scowl in his expression let Stiles know that Derek actually meant that.

“I know, I know. I’m just joking,” Stiles reassured before taking Derek’s hand and interlacing their fingers. The gesture immediately seemed to calm Derek down, as he let out a shuddering breath and squeezed Stiles’ hand gently.

 

They walked like that for a while, exchanging a few words here and there, but even Stiles came to enjoy the occasional silence between them, rather than feeling like he had to fill it with his words. It was comfortable, and neither of them needed to force a conversation. It was okay to just be around each other and not say a thing.

Because he was so lost in thought, Stiles didn’t even realize that they were walking towards the clearing he met the wolf at – only when they arrived and Derek stopped did Stiles really take in his surroundings again.

Stiles furrowed his brows in confusion and looked at Derek. There was no way Derek could know this is where Stiles met the wolf, right? They never talked explicitly about that. So why did they end up here?

Derek, on the other hand, was staring sternly ahead, not meeting Stiles’ gaze for a second. The nervous look was back on his face, and it somehow made Stiles’ chest clench. Something was definitely up…  
“Uhm, Derek? Would you mind explaining to me what’s going on?”


	21. Eye-Opening

“Okay, so…” Derek tried, he really did. But his words escaped him. It’s not like he hadn’t thought about how exactly he was gonna go about this conversation with Stiles – but the actual, physical act of speaking seemed impossible right now.

“I really don’t know how to explain this…I just-“ As soon as Derek looked over at Stiles’ questioning – but nevertheless beautiful – gaze, it was like his entire brain was wiped again. Okay, alright, so talking wouldn’t work.

“Just promise me you won’t freak out right away and you’ll let me explain,” Derek tried feebly. It was actually a lot to ask, but he’d really love the chance to talk this out.  
Stiles was staring at him suspiciously. He was beginning to question whether this was some sort of trap, but he was also very much intrigued. So, reluctantly, he nodded – which immediately seemed to relax Derek, as his otherwise tense shoulders sagged a bit before he took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

 

Now, what Stiles was about to see was not really meant for ordinary human eyes – it defied all logic and reason, and the potential of a complete freak-out was definitely present. Joy, oh joy.

First, it just seemed like Derek was moving in a weird way that stretched his muscles. But Stiles soon realized that actually, his entire form was changing. Bones were popping and extending, moving around in other places, skin was shifting, and then there was fur – a lot of it.  
Though Stiles would argue otherwise, it didn’t take long before, instead of Derek, there was a wolf standing in front of him. And not just some ordinary wolf – it was huge, had bristly black fur, and it looked oh so familiar.  
Stiles was pretty sure he stood with his mouth hanging open, staring at the wolf (who was staring right back at him, unmoving) for at least a solid five minutes before he could react in any way, shape, or form.

 

“Hooolyyy shit.”

Accurate…There was another pregnant pause before Stiles could form a coherent thought and try to process what had just happened.

“Derek?!” he exclaimed, causing the wolf to flinch slightly and whine – _freakin’_ whine – before it moved its head in a nodding motion.

“Is this real? Am I drunk? Did you drug me?!” Another whine from the wolf…it also seemed to slump down slightly and let his ears hang besides its head, seemingly a sign of sadness. Stiles actually felt kind of bad, because the wolf – no, _Derek_ , he had to remind himself – looked absolutely miserable.  
Based more on intuition than anything else, Stiles extended his hand to rub over the Derek’s head. Was that intrusive? Stiles couldn’t be sure, and frankly, he didn’t care too much, because he just wanted Derek to not look so damn miserable anymore. The fact that the wolf leaned into the touch immediately, ears and body perking up a little, somewhat put Stiles’ mind to rest on that matter.

 

“It’s really you in there, isn’t it?” An affirming huff (is that even a thing?) caused Stiles to chuckle as he sat down in front of Derek, childlike fascination written all over his features.  
“You know that I have, like, a million questions right now, right? I mean…you’re a – you’re a wolf! A werewolf! Whatever, you’re a…I don’t even know, I’m kinda overwhelmed right now to be honest.”  
Stiles breathed in for a second, willing his rambling away, because obviously Derek couldn’t vocally respond at the moment. Instead he smiled at the wolf, ruffling through his fur once more.

“This is so cool.” Another huff from the wolf, and Stiles didn’t know why, but he had to chuckle at that again.

 

“Not that I’m, like, not all for this, but could you change back? Because I really have some questions about this, y’know?”  
The wolf seemed to grumble, reluctantly standing and moving away from Stiles’ touch, and walking over to a pile of ripped and shredded clothing. Stiles hadn’t even realized it was there before Derek pointed it out right now. It took him another moment to realize what that actually meant, and as soon as he did, Stiles blushed furiously.

“Alright, yeah, I get it. I uh…the questions can wait a little I guess. But don’t think you’ll get around them, okay?” Derek huffed again, moving back towards Stiles and sitting down beside him.

 

“Do you want to…uhm, I don’t know, go back to my place? Not in a, like, suggestive kind of way, but your car’s still there. And I think I have some clothes that might fit you, so we could maybe get around to some explanations?” Stiles rubbed his hands nervously – he knew that his offer suggested at least some sort of trust, but then again, Derek revealing that he was actually a wolf obviously did take trust as well.

 

As Stiles stood up and turned towards the way back, he looked over his shoulder to find Derek hesitating, and for a moment Stiles thought he had overstepped – that is, until Derek stood as well, moved next to Stiles, and bumped his head against Stiles’ leg, urging him to move. Stiles couldn’t help but smile at the gesture before starting off towards the dorm buildings again.

On the entire walk back, Stiles thought about all the things he wanted to ask Derek – and there were a lot of things he really wanted to know. Freakiness of this whole situation aside, Stiles found himself absolutely intrigued as well, he wanted – no, he needed to know as much as he could. He wanted to understand Derek, he wanted to really get to know him in a way he never before wanted to. The strange urgency made Stiles stomach twist, though not in a bad way…he was excited, ecstatic really. It felt like he had just opened his eyes for the first time and all he saw was Derek.


	22. Werewolf 101

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's still alive?   
> I'd say I'm terribly sorry that I haven't updated in almost a month (which I sorta am), but in all honest my grades are important too, so I only feel slightly bad for taking a break from writing during my exams.
> 
> Anyways, the next week will still be busy for me, but I expect to be back on track after that - until then, enjoy this chapter (or at least try to!)

If you thought getting a living, breathing wolf through town without being noticed was an easy task – well, just remember that that’s why Stiles hadn’t brought the wolf home with him in the first place after they met. As it turns out; rightfully so.  
If the glances and sideway-stares the pair was receiving on the streets wasn’t enough, getting Derek through Stiles’ dorm building without bumping into anyone who would call him out for having a pet (or wild animal...but whatever) definitely was. They managed to be mostly stealthy, right up to Stiles’ doorstep – that’s when Danny, Stiles’ next-door neighbor showed up.  
Usually the boy was pretty laid back, and Stiles was pretty sure he wouldn’t tell anyone about this incident, but obviously there were still some questions. Namely:

“Is that a wolf?!” Stiles stared back at Danny, dumbfounded.

“What? No! Of course not! Why would you think that? That’s a dog – he’s uh…my cousin’s dog. I know, I know, we aren’t supposed to have pets, but he asked me if I could watch out for the little guy for the night because of some date thing, you know? I promise he’ll be gone before you know it, just, please don’t tell anyone.” Stiles hoped that somewhere in between his rambling, he managed to appease Danny – which he mostly did. There were a few more questions, mainly to make sure that the animal wouldn’t hurt anyone, but eventually Danny just gave up and moved back to his room. With a sigh of relief, Stiles unlocked his own door, ushering Derek in before anyone else could catch sight of him.

 

Derek took quite some time to take a look around Stiles’ room – even though it really wasn’t that big. Only after Derek had sniffed about every piece of furniture did he finally sit down in the middle of the room, staring at Stiles expectantly.

“What? Oh – right, pants. Give me a sec.” It wasn’t easy to find something that would fit Derek, but Stiles grabbed a pair of loose sweatpants that would probably do the trick. After depositing them next to the wolf, Stiles left for a minute to give Derek some privacy while he changed. Shortly after, a fully clothed – well, half-clothed – Derek was sitting on Stiles bed, hands folded in his lap, a thoughtful scowl on his face, brows furrowed as usual.

Stiles stared at Derek and his unfairly muscular and defined chest for a moment before he sat down next to him, trying his best to avert his eyes.

“So…you’re a werewolf?” Derek didn’t bother to answer, he just nodded without even looking at Stiles.

“That must be cool, I mean…I don’t even know where to start-“ Stiles was interrupted by Derek lifting his head and staring right at him. The look on his face made something in Stiles’ stomach tighten and coil up.  
“Are you…you’re not freaked out – well, not much, considering what I’ve just shown you,” Derek said, drawing his eyebrows even closer together. Stiles blinked a few times before realizing that the look on Derek’s face had been concern – he had been concerned over what Stiles would think of him, even after he took him all the way back to his room, even in his wolf-form.  
“I’m not saying that this isn’t unusual, but you’re still the guy I met online, right? Just a little extra,” Stiles explained, smiling at Derek. The latter seemed to perk up at the explanation, though only slightly.  
“I really thought this was going to be more of a process,” Derek admitted. In all honesty, he didn’t exactly expect Stiles to yell, run away, and never come back – but he certainly didn’t expect how easily the boy brushed this discovery off. In a way, it made Derek suspicious, but the fact that Stiles didn’t seem to be lying when he told Derek that he didn’t mind, somewhat soothed him.

“Alright then, you said you had questions.” At that, it was Stiles’ turn to perk up. He was _so_ ready to take in as much information as he could.

 

What followed was an hour-long Q&A session, mostly leading to Stiles learning all the basics to what it means to be a werewolf. The two talked about enhanced senses, the effect the moon had on werewolves, the fact that Derek had been born as a wolf (he was careful not to mention that his family shared the trait – Derek trusted Stiles, probably more than he should after the short amount of time they knew each other, but he didn’t want to risk bringing his family into a potentially dangerous situation).  
It had gotten pretty late when Stiles finally seemed to slowly run out of things to ask. Derek didn’t really mind – it was refreshing to teach Stiles about the life a werewolf lived.   
“So, one last question,” Stiles began, making sure to order his words in his mind before actually articulating his question. He wanted to make sure that it came out in the right way.

 

“If we continue to see each other – and yes, that is me implying that I’d very much like that – is there anything I should, you know, be careful about? Anything you don’t want me to do, anything you’d like me to do? Because, if so, I’d like to know now so I won’t do something stupid by accident and fuck this up.”  
After Stiles had finished, he was slightly out of breath, and a little blush was forming on his cheeks. Was he being too blunt? Was it too soon to ask these kinds of questions? In any case, now it was too late to take what he had said back.  
As it turns out, Derek was not expecting these questions either – judging by the same blush Stiles was currently trying (and failing) to hide. So it was more than understandable when Derek was a little overwhelmed before he could answer.

 

“Well…”


	23. In Spirit

“Well?” Stiles sounded oddly hopeful. There was a childlike excitement in his eyes that Derek just couldn’t quite wrap his head around.

“I…I honestly don’t know what to say. No one has ever asked me that,” Derek replied sheepishly, avoiding Stiles’ gaze.

“Huh…” Somehow, Stiles could feel that Derek wasn’t just talking about the wolf-part of himself. He was never asked what he liked and what he disliked – neither as a human, nor as a wolf. If anything, that made Stiles so much more determined to get to know Derek, what he wanted, and what he didn’t want. He took Derek’s hand and squeezed it once.

“I’m serious. I wanna make sure you’re comfortable,” Stiles reiterated with a smile that Derek only hesitantly mirrored.

 

“Okay, well, I uh – I told you that werewolves are very sensitive to scents, right?” It was painstakingly obvious how difficult it was for Derek to talk about this – which made Stiles’ heart constrict in a strange way.

“Yeah, what about it? Should I shower more often?” Stiles questioned, only partly joking.

“No no no, you don’t need to…just – we wolves like to share our scent with our pack…and our partners. So, uhm, if that’s alright, I’d like to touch your neck and your pulse points sometimes. It…if that’s alright with you, I’d like that.”  
“No objections there. And here I thought you were going to tell me I smell bad,” Stiles replied with a chuckle that Derek reacted to with a blush.

“You don’t smell bad at all…” There was a strange pause. Derek seemed to get lost in his thoughts again. “You smell like home.”

Stiles could do nothing but blush at that. It seemed like a compliment and the way Derek avoided Stiles gaze and bit his lip nervously proved Stiles’ point.

“That’s flattering…I think. Though I gotta admit I have no idea what ‘home’ smells like.” At that, Derek seemed frustrated again, being unable to translate his thoughts properly into words.  
“It’s hard to describe – it’s like…it’s really nice. I like it,” he tried, though he sounded unconvinced of his own explanation. It seemed to be enough for Stiles though, who pressed a chaste kiss onto Derek’s cheek and grinned at him. “I’ll take it.”

 

Derek wished he was brave enough to tell Stiles even more of what he wanted, what he longed for, but he wasn’t so far gone yet and he didn’t want to overdo it. He’d been lucky Stiles had been so open-minded and simply accepting, but now was not the time to test out any more boundaries. Eventually, though…in time.

 

Not long after, Derek had to see himself out – it’s not like he didn’t want to stay, but in reality, he had work to do and if he stayed any longer, or – god forbid – the night, his sister wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. Besides, Stiles was most likely not ready for that either. Derek had to remind himself that the boy was precious, fragile, and blatantly inexperienced. That was nothing to be ashamed off, in fact, it spurred on Derek’s possessive and protective side, but he also knew that he wanted and needed to take his time with Stiles.

Eventually, the two ended up in front of Stiles’ dorm where Derek had parked his car. Stiles was ecstatic about somehow reaching this whole new level in their relationship – if it really was one, that is. With Derek’s confession, Stiles felt so very much…connected to him, on a primal, unexplainable level that made his blood rush in excitement.

 

“I’ll see you soon,” Derek said – almost whispered – as he turned to Stiles one last time before he’d need to get into his car and drive off.  
“Definitely,” the younger one responded with a smile that was too bright to be teasing. It was that smile (and maybe that strange pull he felt in his chest again) that made Derek lean into Stiles one more time – though it wasn’t for a kiss. As if he was running on instinct alone, he buried his face in Stiles’ neck, inhaling the strangely familiar and soothing scent – it became even more intoxicating after Derek left some of his own there. Both together – it was like a piece of heaven.   
“Oh! You’re doing the scenting thing!” Stiles finally exclaimed, pulling Derek back to reality in a less than graceful manner – then again, he ought to be thankful, if Stiles hadn’t done that, he might’ve ended up invading his private sphere in a way he wasn’t yet supposed to.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t just-“ Derek didn’t even get a chance to finish his sentence (or his thought for all it’s worth), before Stiles kissed him, unable to suppress his smile. He broke away after what felt like only a moment of contact – though in reality it was probably several seconds at least – but not without rubbing his cheek against Derek’s neck experimentally. Derek huffed a startled breath, his brain short-circuiting, before a slow grin spread over his face as well.

“Don’t worry, I like it,” Stiles explained as he lifted his head again. “I hope it’s okay when I indulge as well.”

Derek was surely not complaining. The fact that Stiles’ scent lingered on him now too filled him with pride he couldn’t quite explain. Instead of answering, Derek just kissed Stiles again, his smile not faltering for a second, until he finally let go and made his way to his car.

 

It was strange – how easily Stiles had adjusted. How easily he mirrored Derek’s behavior, which would’ve been normal to other wolves, but surely must’ve been strange to a human. But Stiles didn’t seem to mind. He simply accepted and reciprocated, which was more than Derek had ever hoped for. Oh it wouldn’t be long before he was falling – who knows, maybe he already was.


	24. Mother Dearest

He should’ve known better. He should’ve remembered – in fact, it was absolutely mind-boggling how Derek could just have forgotten that his sister, who was also very much a werewolf and therefor able to make out scents just as good as Derek, would be waiting for him when he got home. Well, maybe he simply wanted to ignore that possibility, maybe he thought that she’d let him be and ignore the very, _very_ obvious smell of someone else on him. Maybe Derek believed that his sister would not make fun of him for once in her life. And there _was_ a chance of that happening – but of course, that would’ve been far too easy.  
As soon as Derek stepped through the door to his flat, he was met with Laura’s sliest smirk and a raised eyebrow that would put his own to shame. Yup, Derek should’ve definitely waited till she was asleep or something, but he seemed to be too blissed out at the moment to even bother. At least until he realized that Laura was not alone.

 

It was the smell that hit Derek first, then he heard first, then there was a heartbeat, and finally that unmistakable feeling of…oh crap. _Alpha_. Which was bad for two reasons. Firstly, how in the world could Derek have forgotten that his mother said she’d be coming around to visit?! At the very least, that was just bad planning on his side. But secondly, there was no way in hell that his mother couldn’t smell what Laura already had.  
Seemingly out of options, and frankly still too blissed out to _really_ care, Derek squeezed his eyes shut in anticipation as his mother’s gaze fell onto him.

 

Talia Hale was probably the kindest, and most loving person Derek had ever met – debatably, but he didn’t know Stiles _that_ well yet – she was absolutely fierce when it came to protecting her family and her pack, she was a strong leader, and by many considered one of the most powerful Alpha’s in recent history. Putting all that aside, she was still his mother, and as such, the interest she immediately took in the stranger’s smell on Derek, came as no surprise.  
“Where have you been Der-bear?” she questioned, quirking her eyebrow the same way Laura did. Derek cringed internally at the nickname, but at least he knew his mother wasn’t making fun of him – no, that was Laura’s job. His mother was just actually curious (and probably ready to be over-protective and exited, just like moms are supposed to be).  
“He was with his boyfriend,” Laura oh so helpfully drawled. Talia quickly raised a second brow, looking between her two children as if she was waiting for a proper explanation.  
“His what now?” she emphasized, though there was no hint of judgement in her tone – still just simple curiosity.  
“Stiles is not my boyfriend, we’re just…” Derek wasn’t even sure how he was supposed to finish that sentence. Yes, they weren’t technically boyfriends…not really. But he’d like them to be – he was pretty sure of that. And he was pretty sure Stiles wanted the same thing. In hindsight, he should’ve asked earlier, but that would probably have to be settled later.

With an exasperated sigh, Derek let his shoulders slump before finally opening his eyes again, making sure to cast a death-glare Laura’s way before he finished his thought.  
“We’ve been on two dates, I don’t think that really means-“

“Then why am I only now hearing about this?” There was a grin spreading on Talia’s face with the question. Derek loved his mother, he really did, but sometimes she just wanted to get too involved in her children’s lives. It wasn’t like Derek was going to keep Stiles a secret for forever – just, maybe for another week or so? Or maybe five? Surely not longer than a year or so.

“Mom please, we’ve only just met, really and-“  
“Oh please, you’ve been pining over him this entire semester!” Laura exclaimed – again, so very helpful.

“Is it the one from his writing class you’ve told me about?” Talia asked, facing Laura.  
“That’s the one,” she confirmed with a smile.  
“You’ve been talking about this?! Behind my back?” Derek would say he was surprised – but thinking about it, he really wasn’t. This seemed like something his sister would do to him.

Completely ignoring her son’s questions, Talia took his hand and guided Derek to sit down at the kitchen table. “Tell me about him, I’ve only heard what you’ve told Laura, but I want to hear it from you. Is he smart? Cute? Does he have a nice ass?”  
“Mom! What the hell?” Derek exclaimed, more shocked at the fact that he would yell at his mother than at her questions. Talia just laughed it off for a bit before her phone started ringing. She raised a finger at her son before taking the call.

 

“Yes? Yes. He…he did what?! Oh my…yeah. Sure, I’ll be home in a bit. Yeah. Right, see you soon.” With that she ended the call and sighed.  
“Sorry, I need to leave a little earlier than planned.” Of course, both Laura and Derek had heard the entire exchange. Apparently, their uncle had gotten drunk on some wolfsbane-infused wine and then promptly pissed on a police car. Both Derek and Laura grimaced at the thought, but Derek couldn’t say he was mad about getting out of the inevitable interrogation from his mom.  
As Talia grabbed her purse and flung it around her shoulder, she pressed q kiss to both Laura’s and Derek’s temple before stopping abruptly in the doorway.

“Bring Stiles over for dinner next Saturday, I want to meet him.” There was no room for arguing, and before Derek could even form any response, Talia was out of the door. He stood there gaping for a solid minute, before his sister’s giggles ripped him out of his reverie.

“I am so mad at you right now,” he threatened, scowling at her, to which Laura simply responded with a shrug and a grin.  
“She would’ve found out sooner or later, I just sped up the process. Speaking of process, I take it you told him?” Derek sighed, lowering his hands and deflating slightly before nodding.  
“And judging by the way his scent is all over you he’s taken it well?” Another short nod from Derek.  
“Good! Be sure to tell mom so she won’t be too surprised when you two lovebirds come over,” Laura cooed, batting her eyelashes before running off to her room.  
Derek just stood there, flabbergasted again, before running over to the door Laura just disappeared behind, yelling “This isn’t over!”


	25. Quick

“Sooo…”  
“Derek, you’ve literally been avoiding whatever it is that you want to tell me for at least twenty minutes now. I’m starting to be a bit concerned here, so could you just, you know, spit it out already?”

 

Yes, okay, Derek _had_ been ignoring it. How was he supposed to tell Stiles that, after still only two dates, Talia Hale, alpha-extraordinaire, and as it just happens, Derek’s mother, would like to meet her son’s ‘boyfriend’. (They still hadn’t discussed that one yet…)  
Derek could pretty much feel Stiles rolling his eyes – fondly, of course – through the phone.   
“Alright, so my mom was visiting the other day…” Derek paused again, telling himself he was waiting for any kind of reaction from Stiles, though, in all honesty, he was still just delaying the inevitable.  
“And?” Stiles urged with a chuckle.  
“Uhm…she’d like to meet you, I guess? Said I should bring you over for dinner this weekend.” Again, Derek paused to wait for Stiles’ reaction, biting his lower lip out of nervousness.

“Oh that’s all? I thought you were-“ But Stiles didn’t even get the chance to finish his sentence before he was interrupted by Derek.  
“It’s totally fine if you don’t want to! I mean, we’ve been on two dates and I’d understand if you think it’s too early for the whole ‘meet the family’ thing.”

Stiles blinked in surprise – because, woah, normally he was the one to say way too much and be way too quick about it when he got nervous.  
“Derek, it’s okay. I’ll come if you want me to…unless your family is actually a bunch of murderers and psychos.”

Derek sighed. Stiles was as open-minded and chill as ever. He didn’t really know why he had expected something different – maybe because this was kind of a big deal, Derek never actually brought someone home to meet his family officially.   
“Yeah, I’d like you to meet them…and no, they’re not a bunch of psychos – well, my uncle is, but I don’t think he’ll be there. At least I hope not…” Yeah, the last thing Derek needed was Peter scaring Stiles off – he knew the older man definitely had it in him, but if it ever came to that, Derek was ready to defend Stiles’ honor…or purity, or whatever.  
“Alright, just text me the details. I gotta go now, I promised my dad I’d call him today…I’ll see you soon, yeah?”   
“Sure, we can definitely meet again before the weekend. I’d like that,” Derek agreed. Whenever he was faced with the prospect of meeting, seeing, and, most importantly, touching Stiles, Derek’s wolf just squirmed with happiness. Strangely enough, Derek always had to suppress the urge to do the exact same.

 

Later that week, Stiles and Derek met up for a coffee date. It was pretty casual, and Stiles loved every minute of it. It was so easy to feel comfortable around Derek, even after his revelation. Somehow, Stiles felt settled and grounded when they spent time together, which he usually just did when he was at home with his dad or Scott. He also managed to pry out a few more details about Derek’s family and the way they were living together, not only as a family, but as a pack. Apparently, all of Derek’s siblings and his mother were werewolves too, just his dad was human. Aside from that, they led pretty normal lives, just with an extra bit of bodily contact and a lack of privacy. Derek even told Stiles how his family would go for runs through the forest that surrounded their house during the full moon – something his father stopped participating in, saying he got too old and without werewolf-enhanced speed, it was just too hard to keep up with the rest of the family. Derek hoped that Stiles might join them once or twice though – maybe he’d even get his father to come along one more time.

 

After their date, Stiles took Derek back to his dorm again – a little privacy never hurt anyone, right? And like that, they ended up, splayed out on Stiles’ bed, Derek on top of the younger man, in a heavy make-out session.  When they broke apart after what must’ve been at least 10 solid minutes of uninterrupted contact, Derek nuzzled into Stiles’ neck, growling approvingly, though it came out more like a purr.  
“You make the weirdest noises,” Stiles snorted as he turned his head sideways to give Derek more access.  
“I like it,” he continued as Derek kissed from his neck up to his jaw line with a grin.

“I think I could stay like this for a while,” Derek sighed as he rolled onto his side and flung his arm around Stiles’ waist.  
“Be my guest,” Stiles chuckled as he pressed on more kiss onto Derek’s lips.

“My wolf really likes you too,” Derek babbled, his eyes droopy from exhaustion, as he caressed Stiles’ back.  
“Oh really? That’s a good thing, right?” Stiles asked curiously. Derek agreed with a hum, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply once, before opening them again.  
“It’s never been like that, my wolf usually doesn’t really enjoy any people aside from my family, but it kind of becomes this huge puppy around you…” That’s why they went back to Stiles’ place…if Laura overheard any of this, she would not let Derek hear the end of it for years.  
“You’re adorable…and your wolf too – but I don’t think I’d like kissing it as much as you.”  
Derek snorted and buried his nose in Stiles’ neck once again. He felt so lucky that he found Stiles. Before, Derek had never been so content with just lying in bed with someone, just holding them. But Stiles somehow made him, and his wolf, feel this way – and it was scary and beautiful at the same time. He got attached so quickly…if Stiles ever broke his heart, Derek didn’t think he could put it together again. But somehow, he didn’t feel like Stiles would ever do that. And in this moment, Derek swore to himself, he wouldn’t do so either.


	26. Number One Shippers

In the end, it was hard to tell who was more nervous, Stiles or Derek.   
Derek had never brought a girlfriend home – he just didn’t feel like it was necessary before. And Stiles, well…he never had an actual girlfriend or boyfriend, so the only thing that came even close to this experience, was when he met Scott’s mother back when he was still a child.

Of course Derek had come to pick Stiles up, like the gentleman he is, all the while muttering something along the lines of ‘Your jeep is a safety hazard.’ Stiles, for once, wasn’t complaining about the insult to his baby – he was occupied with trying (and mostly failing) to keep calm.  
He had told himself over and over again that it would be fine. Derek had said the same – and for the most part, Stiles had been as relaxed as he could be. But now that he was literally minutes away from meeting Derek’s family, his nervousness started to get the better of him. Derek didn’t even need his keen werewolf senses to know how Stiles was feeling; the way his legs were bouncing nervously, how he kept pulling at his shirt, and how he constantly tried to fix his hair were sign enough. With a sigh accompanied by a smile, Derek placed a hand on Stiles knee and rubbed soothingly.   
“You don’t need to worry, it’ll be fine. My mom is super chill, and I won’t let my siblings bother you if they show up, alright?” Derek could almost feel some tension seep out of Stiles as he turned towards him and smiled back. Talia had promised that she’d keep Cora and Laura away for the night – she knew that her daughters could be very exhausting and Derek would never hear the end of their teasing, not when he brought a partner home for the first time ever. But Derek knew better than to trust in his sisters’ ability to keep their curiosity to themselves for once – one way or another, they’d probably show up eventually.  
They continued their drive with some music to drown out the comfortable silence between them. Though Stiles definitely was nowhere near relaxed, he wasn’t as tense as before, and that’s pretty much all Derek could hope for.   
Not long after, they arrived at the Hale house…or mansion. Stiles wasn’t sure whether he’d ever seen such an extravagant building. It was huge but still managed to somehow convey a homey feeling.  
“That’s where you lived?!” Stiles inquired, gaping at the building in front of him as he and Derek got out of the car. Derek blushed a little before shrugging.  
“Wow, it looks really nice,” Stiles continued and grinned at Derek, who returned the gesture before leaning over and pressing a quick kiss to Stiles’ lips.

“Why, thank you!” The pair was ripped out of their reverie by the joyful voice of Talia, who seemingly had materialized on the porch out of nowhere. Stiles clutched at his heart for a moment, causing Derek to chuckle at him, before leading him over to his mother.  
“Mom, this is Stiles. Stiles this-“ Before he could finish, Talia had pulled Stiles in for a hug – much to everyone’s surprise.  
“I’m Talia. It’s so nice to meet you! I’ve heard quite a bit about you,” she explained as she let go of a still perplexed Stiles.  
“Oh, uh…sorry?” Stiles countered, furrowing his brows and looking helplessly towards Derek.  
For a tense moment no one said anything. Derek gaped at Stiles as if he had just lost the last bit of belief in the boy’s social skills, Stiles was looking between Derek and his mother franticly, and Talia stared at Stiles with a completely unreadable expression – until she cracked up and patted the boy on his shoulder.  
“Oh I’ll like you, I can tell,” she said before leading the way indoors. Derek and Stiles followed willingly after shrugging at each other.

Talia led them to a dining hall that was at least five times the size of Stiles’ dorm room. From a door that, judging by the delectable smell that was coming out of it, led to the kitchen stepped a man that seemingly resembled what Derek would look like in thirty years or so – undoubtably his father. He shared Derek’s dark hair, though there were some grey strands in his. His high cheek bones and prominent nose completed the picture.  
“So you’re the boy my wife can’t shut up about?” he said as he walked towards Talia and slung his arm around her waist. Stiles, overwhelmed with that statement once again, looked at Derek, then back at his father.  
“Uhm, I guess so. It’s nice to meet you sir,” Stiles tried as he extended his hand towards the man.  
“Aww, that’s adorable! You think I’m old enough to be called ‘sir’,” he cooed as he shook Stiles’ hand, grinning at the boy shortly after.  
Derek’s father – Martin, as it turned out – sat Derek and Stiles down at the table, before disappearing in the kitchen with his wife, saying something about finishing dinner.  
As soon as they were alone, Derek leaned his head on Stiles’ shoulder and groaned in frustration. He didn’t even try to keep his voice down, knowing that his mother would hear him anyways.  
“I’m sorry about them, they can act weird sometimes…” Stiles just laughed and pressed a kiss onto Derek’s hair.  
“Are you kidding? I think they’re super sweet – guess you have to get it from somewhere, hm?” Stiles replied, causing Derek to chuckle softly and – though Stiles could not see it – blush like a teenager.

From the kitchen, Stiles could vaguely hear Talia squealing and giggling, saying something along the lines of ‘Derek’s boyfriend thinks were super sweet!’  
Derek’s dad soon joined in with the squealing.


	27. Parents' Delight

Stiles wondered when his life had turned into one of those cliché romantic comedies. Surprisingly enough, dinner with the Hales (hey, that could be the title of that movie!) was not all that awkward. Well, mostly.  
After embarrassing himself by moaning obnoxiously loud around his first mouthful of steak, Stiles managed to keep the noises he produced in check for the most part. He’d later blame that one on the shockingly awesome cooking skills of Mr. Hale. Of course, it should not come as a shock that someone who mostly cooks for werewolves knows how to handle his meat – no pun intended. Stiles was actually afraid Derek might smack him for embarrassing him in front of his parents, but Derek just blushed and ducked his head while Martin and Talia were giggling again.

As it turns out, Martin is just a human like Stiles. He met Talia when they were in high school, and he was shortly after introduced to the supernatural world when Talia’s brother Peter showed up at his doorstep one night after following the scent that was all over his sister. Apparently that was nowhere near the weirdest and creepiest thing Peter had ever done – Stiles couldn’t decide whether he was intrigued or never wanted to meet that man.

 

After dinner was finished, the Hales and Stiles went on talking about college, friends, and other things. Stiles consciously avoided the topic of his own family. Derek was taken by surprise at first, until he realized they had never actually talked about Stiles parents. Derek knew that his boyfriend (crap, they still needed to sort out that terminology…) lived with his father – but that was about it. Believing that there was a reason for Stiles to avoid the topic, Derek let it slide, but took a mental note to ask at a better moment. If Talia and Martin also realized that Stiles would not talk about his family, they didn’t let it show; instead they just went with the conversation, clinging onto every last bit of information they could get out of Stiles, as if it was the most interesting thing they had ever heard. Considering that their children could be very closed off, that might not have been too far off the truth.

The evening went on like that for quite a while. It was already way past midnight when the conversation came to a stop. Cue in rom-com cliché number 23.

“Oh look at the time boys! Are you sure you want to drive back to campus tonight? You could just sleep here and go back tomorrow,” Talia offered as she started to clean up the table. With a shocked expression, Derek looked at his mother – who had conveniently turned her back towards him and was missing the way he looked – then towards Stiles, who now had a blush spreading high on his cheek bones. Almost simultaneously, Derek and Stiles started sputtering something along the lines of ‘Oh that’s not necessary. It’s not that late. We don’t want to be of any more trouble.’   
“Don’t be like that – Derek you know we’ve had your and your siblings’ rooms sound proofed the minute you hit puberty! We won’t come sneaking and spying in on you,” Martin added with a smirk that was half-telling of all the things he and his wife must’ve heard before they finally decided they’d be better off not having to listen to anything their kids were doing behind closed doors.

It was in that moment that Derek gave up on getting out of this situation. He knew, once his parents had set their mind on something, there was no way of changing it. He sunk back into his chair and looked at Stiles apologetically.

“I mean…if you’re okay with it…?” Derek mumbled – which was a great tactic; letting Stiles decide. If he really didn’t want to spend the night, there might be a chance of convincing Talia and Martin. It wasn’t like Derek was eager to get back to campus – or cut his time with Stiles short – but they had never even shared a room, a fact of which Derek’s parents were blissfully unaware of.  
Surprisingly enough, it seemed as if Stiles could decipher exactly what was going on in Derek’s head, just by looking at him. Though his heartbeat quickened – certainly a sign of nervousness – he smiled shyly at Derek.  
“Sure, why not.”

Derek felt like there was warmth spreading through him at Stiles’ words, and his movement to lean over and press a kiss to Stiles’ cheek seemed nothing but normal and right.

 

Shortly after, Martin sent the two off to Derek’s old room, telling them he and Talia would clean up the kitchen and they wouldn’t have to worry about it. In all honesty, Derek was glad to get some alone-time with Stiles, away from his parents – but that also reminded him of the fact that he’d share his room with Stiles, potentially even his bed if Stiles was up for that? Meaning; Stiles’ scent would be all over Derek’s room…and not just like a fleeting note, oh no. After spending an entire night in there, probably sweating in his sleep, Stiles’ would have left his mark for at least a good month, if not more. The thought of that made something in Derek’s chest constrict while his wolf rumbled in satisfaction.  
Then again, being confined at such close quarters might have some other…more embarrassing by-effects. Derek knew he could keep his wolf under control; his mother had trained him well. But there was no way he would not pop at least one awkward boner just from Stiles’ presence. Make that at least seven if they were really going to share a bed…or maybe more like just one constant one. Derek could only hope that Stiles would either ignore that, laugh it off, or at least react in the same way so it wouldn’t be all too awkward for Derek. Then again, if Stiles really did react in the same way, the whole control thing could be way harder for Derek…

 

Hehe, harder…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can you tell that we're getting closer to that rating change? Or do you think I'll still drag it out for another 10 chapters or so? Would this be considered Slow Burn yet? So many questions...


	28. Sleeping Arrangements

As soon as the two made it to Derek’s room, Stiles shut the door behind them and Derek sighed in relief. He loved his family, his pack, dearly, but his room would always be his safe-space, away from all the bickering downstairs and the curious looks of his sisters.

Stiles took a look around; he couldn’t deny that this room was very…Derek. It was pretty minimalistic; aside from a desk, a bed, a TV station with a couch, and a wardrobe, there was only a single shelf, filled to the brim with books. And that was it – no decorations, no posters, nothing. Stiles didn’t necessarily mind that, it just meant he didn’t have much to rummage through.

 

“I told you they could be difficult,” Derek said, pulling Stiles’ mind back to the present. Stiles shrugged and turned to face Derek.  
“No biggie, I’ve imagined worse,” he said with a grin – and Derek didn’t even want to imagine what worse meant. To him, his parents couldn’t have been much more embarrassing, but apparently Stiles didn’t think so.

After a long moment in which the two just stared at each other, Derek trying to bring up the problem concerning their sleeping places, Stiles for once coming up with nothing to talk about, the former cleared his throat and sat down on his bed, rubbing his arm uneasily. Stiles, understanding this as an invitation, sat down next to Derek and bumped their shoulders together, trying – and succeeding – to ease Derek’s nerves a little.

“So…I couldn’t help but notice your parents called me your boyfriend,” Stiles suddenly remarked, drawing Derek’s shocked gaze towards him.  
“You know, I didn’t want to assume anything, but uh…”  
“I’d like that,” Derek quickly interrupted Stiles without even really thinking about it. It wasn’t like he was lying – he may have wanted to think this over a little but oh well, when did he ever get the chance to do that anymore?

Stiles, in the meantime, was blushing like the thirteen year old he knew he was on the inside when it came to his love life.  
“That’s – yeah, me too. Sounds nice,” he mumbled before leaning into Derek for reassurance again – almost like a werewolf would do, Derek internally remarked with a proud smile.

 

“So, how would my _boyfriend_ like to keep our sleeping arrangements for the night?” Derek made sure to drawl the word out, testing it on the tip of his tongue and finding that he _so_ liked the sound of it. It seemed as if Stiles just then realized that they were sitting together on Derek’s bed and what that might imply. He rubbed his arm nervously.  
“I don’t you know if I’m ready for…” he whispered, more to himself than to Derek. Derek, however, immediately understood what Stiles was hinting at and quickly made sure to set things straight.  
“I’m talking about sleeping Stiles. Actual sleeping, nothing more, I’m fine with that. But if you’d prefer I can move to the couch,” he said, taking Stiles hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

“Oh – alright yeah, then that’s fine, you don’t need to move to the couch, I don’t mind sharing the bed with you…that sounded worse than I hoped it would.”

Derek tried – and failed – to suppress the smile that was threatening to erupt, but Stiles’ nervous giggle was absolutely worth it.

“You can’t laugh at your boyfriend like that! What would your parents think?!” Stiles exclaimed in mock-offense, to which Derek replied with a raised eyebrow.   
“Have you met my mom? That’s all she does when she’s with my dad. It’s kind of disgusting how in love they still are,” Derek sighed as he went to get up and change into something more comfortable to sleep in.

He didn’t notice at first, but Stiles stayed on the bed and somehow his mood had shifted. There was an eerie…sadness about him. It almost felt like a physical weight on Derek as soon as he realized it. He was about to ask what was wrong when Stiles got up as well, having brushed off whatever had just overcome him.  
“Do you have any clothes I could borrow?” he asked conversationally. Derek wasn’t sure whether Stiles had forgotten that there was this thing with emotions and bodily reactions to them that werewolves could smell – he had explained that during their Q&A session. Whatever the case was, Stiles seemed to have moved on and Derek wouldn’t push the topic for now, he didn’t need to ruin a perfectly nice evening, especially when they’d be confined in the same room for the next hours. Instead, he grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a faded shirt that was way too big for Stiles, but would do for sleeping purposes.

 

When the two finally lay down, it took Stiles an agonizingly long two minutes to find a position that was comfortable. Derek wasn’t sure if Stiles was trying to keep some space between them or none at all. After dealing with his boyfriend’s flailing limbs for another few minutes he finally made the decision for Stiles and put his arm around Stiles’ waist, holding him in place and seemingly settling him.

“You’re pretty hot,” Stiles remarked and Derek furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  
“Like…literally. You run on a way higher temperature than any normal human. Not to say that you aren’t attractive as well! But you already know that. Just the temperature thing, you know?”

Derek could barely stop himself from laughing out loud – just because he didn’t want Stiles to feel ridiculed.  
“Thank you Stiles, you’re not so bad either,” Derek remarked, earning him, what must’ve been, the 50th blush on Stiles’ side for this evening alone.  
“Now sleep,” Derek finally commanded with a smirk, and Stiles did just that, settled beneath the anchoring weight of Derek’s arm and the warmth spreading from his body. Before drifting off completely, he wondered when he had last felt so comfortable.


	29. The Thing she Missed

After he drifted off, Derek listened to Stiles’ breathing for a while. The calm and regular pattern of it was a complete opposite to Stiles’ usual erratic behavior. Derek wondered if he’d ever see Stiles so serene again – aside from the times he’d undoubtedly watch him sleep.  
Underneath all of Stiles energy beat a human heart – one Derek would fight for to keep safe.   
As his eyes started closing of their own accord, Derek tightened his hold on Stiles and buried his nose in the boy’s neck, inhaling the calming scent and letting it drag him towards sleep as well. He could definitely get used to this…

 

After what felt like only a few minutes, Derek was rudely awoken by a clicking sound. On reflex, his eyes shot open. For a moment, he was blinded by the sunlight flooding his room through the window over his desk. Judging by the brightness alone, it must’ve been at least noon.  
When Derek’s eyes finally recovered after their initial difficulties, he found his mother, holding her phone and staring at it with a huge grin on her face. Derek blinked a few times, before raising a questioning eyebrow, unable and unwilling to use his voice so soon after being woken up.

“You two look adorable. I should get this framed,” Talia cooed as she put her phone away. Oh – so she must’ve taken a picture. Great. If Laura ever got hold of it, Derek’s life would be over.  
Derek groaned, but refused to acknowledge his mother further. Instead he tried to burry himself even further in his bed and pillow. That’s when he realized, he was still holding Stiles in his arms.

Surprisingly enough, Stiles was still sleeping soundly. He seemed neither bothered by Derek’s movement, nor his mother’s intrusion. Sometimes Derek wondered what it would be like to not have exceptional hearing – he’d sure as hell get a lot more sleep.

 

“What is it mom? I’m tired,” Derek sighed as he realized that his mother didn’t seem to have the intention to leave the room anytime soon.  
“You’re always tired Der. That’s not an excuse. I just wanted to let you two know that lunch is ready, if you want…no hurry though, if you want to let your mate sleep a little longer,” Talia explained, a fond smile on her face as she watched her son obviously struggle between the idea of food and the idea of staying in bed for…forever.

It was through this inner turmoil that Derek almost missed the last part of his mother’s speech. _Almost._

“Wait, what did you just call him?” Suddenly, Derek was wide awake. Somehow the term mate was ringing a bell in his head. People had referred to his parents as mates before – but Derek always thought of that as a joke. Mates, just like real wolves. Was this an inside-joke he wasn’t in on?

“Your mate, Derek,” Talia repeated, as if it was the most mundane thing to call Stiles that. When she realized her son seemed absolutely confused, Talia drew her eyebrows together, a sudden concerned expression darkening her features. And that was not a look anyone wanted to see on their mother, under any circumstances.

“Derek did you not know?” she asked, her voice a little hesitant – which was a first. The great alpha Talia Hale was never hesitant. She always seemed to know what to do and say, and this was completely unlike her.

“Mom what are you talking about?” Derek questioned, now sitting up while rubbing the last bit of tiredness from his eyes. There was a confused and tense knot building in his stomach. Derek didn’t even remember the last time he felt so…nervous. Why did it feel like he should know what his mother was talking about?

 

Suddenly, all seemed to click. Talia’s eyes went wide and her mouth fell open in an O-shape – which was concerning, to say the least. But as quickly as it came, Talia’s expression changed back to something that was completely and utterly unreadable.   
“Derek, I need you to come to my study with me right now,” she said, her voice calm again.

Derek didn’t know what it was, but something in his mother’s demeanor worried him. He got up and (reluctantly) followed his mother out of his room – in all honesty, Derek would much rather spend all day in bed with Stiles, even if that just included cuddling and maybe some making out…but his mother, his alpha made a request and he dared not refuse. Derek knew as well as anyone, if she truly wanted to, his mother could just force him to come with her.

 

As soon as they entered the study, Talia closed the door behind Derek (as if that would stop anyone from listening in on them…), and sat down at her table.

“How could you not have known? You father was supposed to tell you! Or was it Deaton? Ah damn it, I should keep track of these things,” Talia mumbled as she rubbed her face – which did not help with Derek’s worries whatsoever.

“Mom, what’s going on? You’re starting to scare me,” he said as he sat down across from her.

Talia raised her head, smiling weakly at her son. If anything, she seemed slightly amused…and more than slightly ashamed.

“Derek, I’m so sorry – you should’ve known about this. _Someone_ should have told you, and I should definitely have made sure…but there’s nothing I can do to change the past now. So; you and I need to have a little conversation.” Talia cleared her throat before looking Derek straight in the eye with a stern look that usually meant he had done something wrong, or whatever she was about to tell him was supremely important.

 

Derek could only hope and pray it was the latter.


	30. Things your Kids should know about

The last time Derek and his mom had ‘a little conversation’ was years ago when Derek first started to shift and wasn’t in control of it. His mother had sat him down to talk about how he needed to learn to control his body and that he needed to act like he was just a regular boy in public. Derek didn’t understand back then that there are people out in the world actively hunting people like him. His mother didn’t tell him back then.

Still, having flashbacks to this slightly disturbing talk made Derek anxious for whatever his mother wanted to tell him now. Derek’s nervousness must’ve shown, as Talia shook her head and sighed before addressing him.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing bad…just something you need to know about, okay? So I want you to listen to what I’m about to tell you and then you can leave.”  
Derek didn’t quite trust himself enough to answer that, so instead he just nodded. And that’s when Talia started.

 

“So, you know that werewolves judge people not only on their looks and actions, like most humans do, but also their scent and, when it comes to romance, compatibility with our wolf. In fact, our wolves take a pretty big part in every interpersonal connection…but I digress.”

At this point, Derek was pretty much on the edge of his seat, willing his mother to _please_ finally get to the point, because he could only take so much anticipation. And she did continue, but not before clearing her throat one more time.

“Anyways, finding a partner can be difficult for werewolves because we are more dependent on every one of our senses, unlike humans. Because of that, more often than not werewolves end up with…let’s call it the best, but not ideal, option. And it is very, _very_ uncommon for us to find someone we truly match with – not only our human, but also our wolf-part.”

“Oh my god mom, how long is this going to take?!” Derek suddenly burst out. It was a surprise that it took him so long, actually…he could be really impatient. Talia just raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips at her son, who immediately sank back into his seat and grumbled something about missing sleep under his breath.

“As I was saying, it is pretty rare for werewolves to find the perfect match – but if they do, they’re called mates.”

Derek blinked at his mother. Okay, that would explain why his parents had been referred to as such…but what did this all have to do with him and Stiles?

“Don’t you think I would recognize a…a mate, if I found one?” Derek questioned, crossing his arms in front of his chest in defiance. It was not like he didn’t like the idea of the ideal partner, but this whole talk seemed a little too abstract and out there – and that was quite the statement, given his heritage.

“Well, you would if you knew what you were looking for. Considering you didn’t, it’s not too surprising that you haven’t noticed yet.”

Derek was still not entirely sold on the idea. Mates as in soulmates? That only happened in fairytales – the bad kind where the wolves are always the evil ones.

“Okay, so let’s assume Stiles and I are mates…how would you know?” he asked, still keeping his defensive stance up while his mother calmly replied.

“There’s a special kind of magic about it. It’s hard to explain, maybe Deaton could tell you in detail about it, but simply put, I’m your alpha and therefore I can sense that bond between you and Stiles.”

 

Derek sank down in his seat. This was…a lot to take in. What did this even mean for him and Stiles? If Stiles truly was the one for Derek, what if he didn’t want to be with Derek anymore one day? What if he changed his mind? There were a million questions buzzing around Derek’s head, and he knew his mother wouldn’t be able to answer all of them. Maybe he really should go and see his family’s emissary, Deaton, and ask him about this.

 

“Look Derek, I know this might be a lot to take in, and I’m so sorry you’re only now hearing about this…and I’m afraid I can’t tell you everything there is to know. The most important part is; this is not a one-sided thing. The bond between you two would’ve never formed if it wasn’t meant to be. Just think about this for a moment; if you had the chance to, let’s say, spend a day with Stiles, or spend a day with your sisters, what would you choose?”

“Stiles,” Derek answered immediately. “That doesn’t prove anything though, I’d literally rather scratch my own eyes out than spend an entire day with my sisters.” Talia looked taken aback for a moment before nodding. “Alright, not the best example, I’ll admit – but you get the gist.”  
“How about this, imagine you are out with Stiles in a club or wherever you young folk hang around these days.” (Derek couldn’t suppress the snort that escaped him at his mother’s choice of words.) “Imagine someone went up to Stiles and openly flirted with him-“

The second those words left his mother’s mouth, Derek started to growl just at the idea. Okay, yeah, that seemed unusual…but wolves could be very territorial, maybe he was just the jealous type in general? Or maybe, just maybe, his mother was right after all.

“Do me a favor Derek. When you are around Stiles, try and look for the small hints. And go see Deaton, he’ll surely be able to explain this all in more detail. This is not a bad thing, Derek. This is incredibly rare and you should be happy, okay? I’m happy for you – for both of you. Now get back to your room before Stiles wakes up and goes searching for you.”

Talia sent her son off with a smile and an encouraging pat on his shoulder. She was right about one thing; this was a whole lot to take in.


	31. Not a Wizard

When Derek entered his room, Stiles was still asleep – in fact, he had managed to spread out over the entire bed and Derek was pretty sure he was drooling on his pillow. The fact that he thought of that as endearing rather than disgusting should probably have been his first hint that his mother was right all along.

As soon as Derek sat down on the bed, Stiles stirred and lazily blinked his eyes open.  
“Morning,” he grumbled, his voice still raspy from sleep. Derek smirked and ran his hand through Stiles’ unruly hair. “Morning,” he mirrored.

“Why’re you already up? Did I miss breakfast?” Stiles asked as he sat up and rubbed his eyes, yawning all the while.

“Well, yeah, you did. It’s like 2PM already…” Derek admitted, rubbing Stiles’ hand absentmindedly. Stiles somehow picked up on Derek’s strange state of mind. He looked at him with furrowed eyebrows.

“What’s going on? Something wrong?” he questioned, yawning once more. Derek just sighed and looked at Stiles. Somehow he felt compelled to wrap the boy up in his arms and not let him go anymore…or maybe he was just imagining things because of his mother. This was all so confusing, he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t anymore.

“No, it’s…I’ve had a talk with my mom and she…” Derek sighed and buried his face in his palms. His mother couldn’t even properly explain all this, how should he do this? “It’s difficult to explain. We were walking about you and me.”

“Your mom doesn’t hate me, does she?” Stiles immediately questioned. Strange how _that_ was his first concern.

“No she doesn’t! She just, uh…”

“Derek, do I really need to pull every single piece of information out of your nose? Because, trust me, I will,” Stiles said, causing Derek to snort at his antics.

“Fine. Just hear me out, ‘cause I’m not entirely sure what this all means either.”

 

Stiles pulled his legs up to his chest and was now facing Derek, wearing the same curious expression he did when Derek first told him about who he was.

“Apparently my mother thinks we’re mates,” Derek begun, stopping right there to gauge Stiles’ reaction. He did, in fact, not move a muscle – which Derek counted as neither a positive nor a negative.

“Meaning?” Stiles urged.

“According to her, it’s kind of like being soulmates…” Derek explained further, stopping again to let that piece of information sink in.

“Uhm…then why didn’t she just say that? Also; she just met me dude, how would she even know that?”

“Well it’s not that simple. She said that there…is a sort of magic that goes with it. And apparently, because she’s my alpha, she can sense that magic bond or whatever.”

“Wait, pause right there. Magic? Really Derek?”

Derek rolled his eyes and sighed. “Yes Stiles, magic. You live in a world where werewolves exist, why does magic surprise you?” Fair point, Stiles had to admit that, but…wait. Soulmates?!

“Dude what exactly does this all mean? Are we like…werewolf-married or whatever? When your mom was talking about a bond, what exactly does that mean?” All of a sudden Stiles heartbeat had become frantic, as if he only now realized what exactly Derek was telling him…way to get distracted by magic. Derek chose to ignore this fact, because honestly, he couldn’t really answer any of Stiles’ questions either.

“Listen, my mom said we should ask our emissary Deaton about this, he should be able to clear this up,” Derek amended. Of course he wanted answers as well…this whole thing was kinda messed up. Maybe good old stoic Deaton could enlighten them.

“Oh. Yeah sure, that sounds like a good idea…just, what’s an emissary?”

“A person with a magic spark. He’s like a diplomat, doctor, and advisor for our pack,” Derek explained calmly. Oh yes, Stiles’ curiosity was insatiable.

“You mean like a wizard? I’m gonna meet a real-life wizard?!” Stiles all but squealed, his eyes widening while a bright smile crossed his face.

“Not a wizard, an emissary! This is nothing like in those Harry Potter movies Stiles,” Derek sighed, though he couldn’t suppress the smile on his face as he watched Stiles’ excitement. Sometimes he wished he was still so easily excitable as well.

“Oh whatever dude, he can do magic, he’s a wizard. End of story.”

“Stop calling me dude Stiles, I’m not 16,” Derek said with a scowl on his face.

“Fine…sourwolf.”

“That’s not better!”

“Maybe, but I think it suits you,” Stiles smirked.

“Alright then I won’t kiss you until you drop it,” Derek countered as he got up from his bed again, turning to walk out of his room.

“Nooo you can’t do that to me,” Stiles whined as he grabbed his boyfriend’s wrist and pulled him back – he knew Derek let him do that, he was much stronger than Stiles.

 

After crashing down on the bed again, Derek was wrapped up by Stiles, who plastered him with kisses all over his face. Derek wanted to scowl and all, but somehow couldn’t manage to do that while Stiles was giggling like a little girl…which should not have been so adorable, god damn it!  
Instead, Derek grabbed Stiles’ arms and pinned them above his head, smirking at his boyfriend, before leaning down and capturing Stiles’ lips in a real kiss. Slowly at first, but as they laid in bed, lazily pecking each other’s lips, Derek started to explore Stiles’ mouth further – much to the younger one’s delight. They spent a good hour, just lying in bed, and would’ve done so for a lot longer, hadn’t it been for Talia coming up to Derek’s room again and reminding the two to eat something before they left for campus again.

When Derek got up again, Stiles was about to protest, but before he could manage to do so, Derek was leaning down, placing one last kiss on his lips and whispering, “We can do a lot more of that once we’re back on campus, alright?”

And who could say no to that?


End file.
